Exam 20: Pulmonary Function Testing

You have just given your patient a 0.03 mg/ml dose of methacholine to assess for asthma. The subsequent forced vital capacity (FVC) shows no change. What should you do next?

Which of the following precautions must be considered when performing pulmonary function procedures on patients with potentially infectious airborne disease? 1) Practitioners should wear sterile gloves. 2) Practitioner should wear a personal respirator or a close-fitting surgical mask. 3) Practitioners should wash their hands between testing patients and after contact with testing equipment. 4) The mouthpiece, nose clips, tubing, and any parts of the instrument that come into direct contact with a patient should be disposed, sterilized, or disinfected between patients.

Which of the following is a true statement?

Which of the following is equal to total lung capacity (TLC)?

After a resting expiration, air still remains in the lungs. What is this volume called?

Which of the following volumes or capacities cannot be measured by simple spirometry? 1) Functional residual capacity (FRC) 2) Expiratory reserve volume (ERV) 3) Residual volume (RV) 4) Inspiratory reserve volume (IRV)

You are examining the expiratory flow tracing during the patient's forced vital capacity (FVC) maneuver. At what point during the exhalation can you generally begin to see flow from the bronchioles?

What is the predicted normal forced vital capacity (FVC) for the average 20-year-old man?

In which of the following conditions is total lung capacity (TLC) always reduced?

What causes the residual volume (RV) and functional residual capacity (FRC) to increase?

In which of the following conditions will you see an increase in the DLCO?

To what does the range or limit of a device's measuring ability refer?

What shape of the flow-volume loop is typical for the patient with a fixed upper airway obstruction?

Which of the following are necessary to ensure a valid single-breath diffusing capacity of the lungs (DLCO) test result? 1) Two or more acceptable tests should be averaged. 2) Breath-hold time should be between 3 and 5 sec. 3) Corrections for hemoglobin (Hb) and COHb should be included. 4) The maneuvers should be reproducible to within 10%.

What conclusions can you draw from the following data, obtained on a 32-year-old 53-kg woman admitted for elective surgery?

What would you use to determine the accuracy of a water-sealed spirometer in measuring lung volumes?

To ensure validity of the forced vital capacity (FVC) measurement, how many attempts should the patient perform?

When evaluating a forced vital capacity maneuver postbronchodilator use to determine the reversibility of any airway obstruction, what percent increase in FEV₁ is needed to be able to say the treatment was effective?

Which gas normally used to measure the diffusing capacity of the lung?

What is the primary problem in obstructive lung disease?