Respiratory air flow and volume

The aim of this experiment is to introduce students to the PowerLab Spirometry arrangement for recording respiratory variables and analysing a recording to derive respiratory parameters.

In this experiment the students examine lung volumes and capacities, as well as the basic tests of pulmonary function.

The experiment is suitable for undergraduate physiology or medical students.

Click the links below to download LabChart 5 Windows and Mac versions of the Teaching Experiment. If you are using LabChart 4, please download the Teaching Experiment from the LabChart 4 Teaching Experiments page.

Respiratory_Win.zip  (4.8 MB) Respiratory_Mac.sit  (6.6 MB)

Click the links below to download a short Technique Movie in your preferred compressed format. The movie shows how to connect and use the respiratory equipment.

Respiration.zip  (1.7 MB) Respiration.sit

The documentation for this experiment assumes the use of:

PowerLab 4/25T  (ML865)
Spirometer front-end  (ML141) or Spirometer Pod  (ML311)
Respiratory flow head  (MLT1000L) and connection tubes  (MLA1011a)
Disposable Filters  (MLA304)
Reusable Mouthpieces  (MLA1026)
Nose Clip  (MLA1008)
Tape measure or wall chart for measuring height
If available, tables or graphs of predicted vital capacity for males and females

For equipment substitutions, see Equipment.

Further Resources
 Spirometry LabChart extension (158 KB) Application Note for Windows
 Spirometry LabChart extension (146 KB) Application Note for Mac