Physicians Routinely Give Their Patients Pulmonary Function Tests in Order

question 33

Multiple Choice

Physicians routinely give their patients pulmonary function tests in order to measure characteristics of lung function. The most common of these tests, spirometry, measures both the volume and the speed of air entering and exiting the lungs. In this test, a person first breathes normally while breathing into a spirometer, a machine that measures air volume and air speed. Then the person takes the deepest breath possible and exhales as hard as possible for 6 seconds into the spirometer. The resulting data are plotted on a graph of volume (y axis) versus time (x axis) . Spirometry is useful not only for assessing lung function in healthy patients but also for characterizing patients with lung conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, or emphysema.
A sample graph for a healthy adult male is shown below. Normal breathing occurs between points A and B, a maximal inhalation occurs at point C, and a maximal exhalation occurs at point D. Normal breathing resumes between points E and F.

-How is spirometry a potentially flawed experimental method to measure lung volume?

• A) The test does not sample data for when the patient is breathing normally.
• B) There is no way to calculate vital capacity using this method.
• C) Patients with lung diseases or disorders cannot take spirometry tests.
• D) The patient may be noncompliant and not put forth their best effort in the test.

---

Definitions:

Groundwater Mining

The process of extracting water from underground aquifers at a rate faster than the natural recharge, leading to depletion or diminishing of groundwater resources.

Atmospheric Carbon

Gaseous carbon compounds, such as carbon dioxide, present in the atmosphere, significantly affecting the Earth's climate.

Sedimentary Cycle

A biogeochemical cycle that involves the movement and processing of sediment materials across the Earth's surface and crust.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water, involving the release of oxygen as a byproduct.