ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with information regarding the assessment and basic interpretation of lung function at rest and during different modes of exercise. The objective assessment of lung function using a range of tests is useful for characterising and assessing respiratory fitness to undertake various activities as well as for identifying and quantifying the severity of possible underlying lung disease. It is appropriate to describe the various lung volume classifications. The volumes can be classified as either static – referring to the volume of air with no relation to time, or dynamic – which are measured in relation to time. All static and dynamic lung function values are related to the subject's age, height, gender, and ethnicity. Dynamic lung function can also be measured as a short period of voluntary hyperventilation, the term given is maximal voluntary ventilation. Measurements of lung function are subject to a number of sources of variation.
