Respiratory Volumes Copy TEST COURSE Jan 2023

Respiratory Volumes

Respiratory volumes are the amount of air inhaled, exhaled and stored within the lungs at any given time. For the purposes of learning on this course only the 4 most important volumes and capacities are described:

Basic lung volumes

Tidal volume (TV): Air that moves into and out of the lungs with each normal breath.
Residual volume (RV): Air left in the lungs over and above a forced expiration.

Basic lung capacities

Vital Capacity: Tidal Volume + Inspiratory Reserve Volume + Expiratory Reserve Volume
Total Lung Capacity: Tidal Volume + Inspiratory Reserve Volume + Expiratory Reserve Volume + Residual Volume

Figure 2.33: Lung volumes and capacities. By Kapwatt at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0,

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