The bellows, not the lungs

advanced

A 61-year-old with three months of limb weakness and new orthopnea so severe he sleeps in a chair. His chest radiograph is clean.

Pulmonary function

FEV11.70L55% pred

FVC2.00L52% pred

FEV1/FVC85%

TLC61% pred

RV118% pred

DLCO88% pred

Interpretation here uses the common teaching thresholds (0.70 ratio, 80% predicted); formal reports use lower limits of normal.

Flow-volume loop

Expiration solid · inspiration dashedSynthetic illustration