vital capacity
- noun
- /ˈvaɪtəl kəˈpæsɪti/
- Specialized
:
capacidad vital
- A fourth phase 3 study was done over 52 weeks in patients with a forced vital capacity of 50-90% predicted and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide of 30-90% predicted.
- forced vital capacity
- vital capacity decline
Examples
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The rate of change in forced vital capacity for an individual patient is variable over time; therefore, it is not possible to evaluate therapeutic response by comparison of forced vital capacity trends preceding and following the commencement of disease-modifying therapy.
Academic text (2016) -
Measurements of resting lung function included the FEV1, the forced vital capacity, and the single breath diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide.
Academic text (1992) -
Inclusion required a forced vital capacity of greater than or equal to 50%.
Academic text (2016) -
Loss of elastin further affects the lungs' ability to expand, reducing vital capacity.
Academic text (2012) -
The relative decline in forced vital capacity was significantly less in the active treatment group (54.9%) compared with the placebo group.
Academic text (2016) -
Patients with diffuse SSc (40%) had lower forced vital capacity and carbon monoxide diffusing capacity with higher pulmonary arterial systolic pressure.
Academic text (2007) -
In a 2016 clinical trial, the addition of the glutathione precursor acetylcysteine to pirfenidone unexpectedly increased the rate of decline in forced vital capacity, demonstrating the importance of randomized controlled trials.
Academic text (2016) -
The doctor measured her vital capacity to assess her lung health during the examination.
-
During the fitness test, we recorded each athlete's vital capacity to evaluate their respiratory function.
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A decrease in vital capacity can indicate respiratory issues, prompting further medical evaluation.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The parts 'vital' (relating to life/essential) and 'capacity' (maximum volume) suggest a compositional sense of an important or maximum capacity, so the phrase is partly interpretable from its constituents. However, the specific medical sense—maximum air exhaled from the lungs—is a technical usage that a B1 learner who only knows the literal words would be unlikely to predict without domain knowledge, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
Vital capacity paints a simple picture: vital means 'necessary for life' and capacity means how much something can hold, so it describes the maximum air your lungs can take in and push out. That's why doctors measure vital capacity to check 'lung health'.
