end stages

what are the end stages of emphysema?

[National Jewish]

Each stage of emphysema is based on symptoms and measured loss of pulmonary function, especially the forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), in addition to symptoms.  The FEV1 is the amount of air that can be forcefully expelled in the first second of exhalation.  It is an indicator of airway obstruction and how far the disease has progressed.  Normal is 80% or greater of the predicted value.  The predicted value for a given individual is based on age, gender, height, and race or ethnicity.

There are 4 stages of emphysema:
At risk Stage 0 Normal pulmonary function
Mild Stage I Mild reduction in air flow
Moderate Stage II FEV1 50 to 80% of predicted
Severe Stage III FEV1 30 to 50% of predicted
Very Severe Stage IV FEV1 less than 30% of predicted

Very severe or stage IV would be the end stages of emphysema.  Often there are also problems in the arterial blood gases (ABG).  This blood test measures the acid-base balance and the functioning of the lungs by checking the carbon dioxide and oxygen levels.  Most blood tests use venous blood, but this test uses blood from an artery.  Most of the time the blood is taken from the wrist area.

[bgood]

my mother has copd/emphezema and she is really sick how do you know when the end stages are near she also has a  blood clot in her right lung .  the doctors keep saying her lungs are about gone but they dont say much anyone who has info on this situation please write she has oxygen and still has trouble breathing and walking without staggering everywhere what is going on with this ?

[sissy47]

A related discussion, bleeding with enphysemia was started.