Sol Abramowitz

The Vital Capacity in Pulmonary Emphysema

Excerpt It is commonly believed that the vital capacity of patients with obstructive or bullous pulmonary emphysema is more or less diminished; mild emphysema is supposed to be accompanied by sligh...

Timed vital capacity a correlation with maximal breathing capacity and use as a clinical test of ventilatory function

Summary The literature on timed vital capacity is reviewed. In 400 patients with various chronic pulmonary diseases the one-second timed vital capacity was compared with the maximal breathing capacity. It was found that the determination of the one-second timed vital capacity with the aid of the Gaensler-Collins vitalometer is an easy and reliable method. A good correlation exists between the one-second timed vital capacity and maximal breathing capacity. When the individuals are grouped as “normal” and patients with “restrictive,” “obstructive” and “combined” ventilatory defect, the ratio: M.B.C., L. per minute/one-second timed vital capacity, L., differs significantly between the groups, except between the “obstructive” and “combined” groups. For clinical evaluation of ventilatory function the determination of the one-second timed vital capacity appears to be satisfactory.