Total lung volume and its subdivisions in children: normal standards

¹ Cardiopulmonary Laboratory, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center; and Pulmonary Disease Division, Kings County Hospital Center, Brooklyn, New York

Total lung capacity and its subdivisions were determined for 458 apparently healthy school children who ranged in age from 6 to 14 years. Calculations of correlation coefficients for these determinations and height, weight, and body surface area were made. Correlation coefficients were best with height for expiratory reserve volume (boys, 0.821; girls, 0.777), for functional residual capacity (boys, 0.800; girls, 0.801), for residual volume (boys, 0.550; girls, 0.538), for vital capacity (boys, 0.895; girls 0.861), and for total lung capacity (boys, 0.898; girls, 0.975). Inspiratory capacity correlated best with body surface area (boys, 0.881; girls, 0.853). Prediction formulas based on these data were established for total lung capacity and its subdivisions. For total lung capacity the following formulas were found: for boys, 30.71 H + 29.35 W – 2545; for girls, 30 H + 31.31 W – 2536.