Total Lung Capacity
Current as of: June 9, 2019
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:E. Gregory Thompson, MD – Internal Medicine & Adam Husney, MD – Family Medicine & Mark A. Rasmus, MD – Pulmonology, Critical Care Medicine, Sleep Medicine
Total lung capacity (TLC) is the maximum amount of air the lungs can hold when they are fully inflated. This amount can be measured as part of lung function tests. To measure total lung capacity, a person sits inside a booth called a plethysmograph and breathes through a mouthpiece while pressure and air flow…