Copyright ©ERS Journals Ltd 2001 Reference values for alveolar membrane diffusion capacity and pulmonary capillary blood volume1 Dept of Pulmonary Diseases, St Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, 2 Dept of Pulmonary Diseases, University Hospital Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands CORRESPONDENCE: P. Zanen, Dept of Pulmonary Diseases, St Antonius Hospital, Koekoekslaan 1, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands. Fax: 31 306052001 Keywords: Membrane diffusion, pulmonary capillary volume, reference values
Received: March 28, 2001
The reference values for diffusion capacity of the alveolar capillary membrane (Tm,CO) and pulmonary capillary volume (Qc) are scarce, while the standard deviations of the equations are large. New equations and residual standard deviations (RSDs) were determined in a sample of healthy subjects.
Tm,CO and Qc values were measured in 117 (72 females, 45 males) nonsmoking healthy subjects. The carbon monoxide transfer factor (TL,CO) was determined when the volunteer was breathing room air and subsequently, when the volunteer was breathing 100% oxygen. From these data, Tm,CO and Qc values were calculated.
The females' TL,CO was 3.15 mmol·min1·kPa1 lower than the males', apparently caused by lower female lung volume. Tm,CO and Qc were lower in females, but correction for lung volume eliminated this difference. Qc1 reference equations for females and males, respectively, are 4.375x1021.085x102xheight and 4.455x1021.085x102xheight (RSD for both sexes: 2.544x103). Tm,Col reference equations for females and males, respectively, are 0.111+3.304x104xage4.753x102xheight and 0.127+3.304x104xage4.753x102xheight (RSD for both sexes: 1.085x102). The general character of these equations complies with earlier publications, the only difference being that the RSDs are 1.182.76 times lower.
New reference equations for diffusion capacity of the alveolar capillary membrane and pulmonary capillary volume are available with considerably smaller residual standard deviations.
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