Minute Ventilation (Healthy vs. Normal vs. Sick People)

Minute ventilation (or pulmonary ventilation, or respiratory minute volume, or flow of air) is the volume of air which can be inhaled (inhaled minute volume) or exhaled during 1 minute.

The calculation of minute ventilation is simple: MV=TV*Rf or minute volume is equal to tidal volume (amount of air for one breath, ml) multiplied by the respiratory frequency (number of breaths per minute).

This table shows normal minute ventilation (liters of air per minute) in healthy subjects at rest (14 studies).

Table. Normal Minute Ventilation (Healthy Subjects Only)

*One row corresponds to one research paper or medical science article

Condition	Minute ventilation	N. of subjects	References
Normal breathing	6 l/min	-	Medical textbooks
Healthy subjects	7.7 ± 0.3 l/min	19	Douglas et al, 1982
Healthy males	8.4 ± 1.3 l/min	10	Burki, 1984
Healthy males	6.3 l/min	10	Smits et al, 1987
Healthy males	6.1±1.4 l/min	6	Fuller et al, 1987
Healthy subjects	6.1± 0.9 l/min	9	Tanaka et al, 1988
Healthy students	7.0 ± 1.0 l/min	10	Turley et al, 1993
Healthy subjects	6.6 ± 0.6 l/min	10	Bengtsson et al, 1994
Healthy subjects	7.0±1.2 l/min	12	Sherman et al, 1996
Healthy subjects	7.0±1.2 l/min	10	Bell et al, 1996
Healthy subjects	6 ± 1 l/min	7	Parreira et al, 1997
Healthy subjects	7.0 ± 1.1 l/min	14	Mancini et al, 1999
Healthy subjects	6.6 ± 1.1 l/min	40	Pinna et al, 2006
Healthy subjects	6.7 ± 0.5 l/min	17	Pathak et al, 2006
Healthy subjects	6.7 ± 0.3 l/min	14	Gujic et al, 2007
"Normal" subjects	12 ± 2 l/min	>500	Hyperventilation in Normals - Results of 18 studies

These research papers and medical science articles show that healthy subjects have very light and easy breathing pattern at rest, generally corresponding to about 6-7 liters of air per min for their normal minute ventilation values. Modern medical and physiological textbooks provide values for the normal pulmonary ventilation ranging from 6 up to 9 liters of air per minute at rest for a 70-kg man.

However, it is clear that when the MV is higher than 10 L/min, this is hyperventilation.

Normal ventilation leads to high (or normal) CO2 in the arterial blood and body cells. As a result, O2 transport is normal and they have normal oxygen values in the brain, heart and other body organs and cells.

Minute Volume in Normal Subjects

Pulmonary ventilation values for modern "normal subjects" are much higher averaging at about 12 L/min (see Hyperventilation: Present in Over 90% of Normals).

Minute ventilation in normal subjects (historical changes)

Minute Ventilation in Sick people

What do we know about minute ventilation rates in people with chronic diseases? Here is some info for thoughts.

Minute ventilation rates (chronic diseases)

Condition	Minute ventilation	Number of people	All references or click below for abstracts
Normal breathing	6 L/min	-	Medical textbooks
Healthy Subjects	6-7 L/min	>400	Results of 14 studies
Heart disease	15 (±4) L/min	22	Dimopoulou et al, 2001
Heart disease	16 (±2) L/min	11	Johnson et al, 2000
Heart disease	12 (±3) L/min	132	Fanfulla et al, 1998
Heart disease	15 (±4) L/min	55	Clark et al, 1997
Heart disease	13 (±4) L/min	15	Banning et al, 1995
Heart disease	15 (±4) L/min	88	Clark et al, 1995
Heart disease	14 (±2) L/min	30	Buller et al, 1990
Heart disease	16 (±6) L/min	20	Elborn et al, 1990
Pulm hypertension	12 (±2) L/min	11	D'Alonzo et al, 1987
Cancer	12 (±2) L/min	40	Travers et al, 2008
Diabetes	12-17 L/min	26	Bottini et al, 2003
Diabetes	15 (±2) L/min	45	Tantucci et al, 2001
Diabetes	12 (±2) L/min	8	Mancini et al, 1999
Diabetes	10-20 L/min	28	Tantucci et al, 1997
Diabetes	13 (±2) L/min	20	Tantucci et al, 1996
Asthma	13 (±2) L/min	16	Chalupa et al, 2004
Asthma	15 L/min	8	Johnson et al, 1995
Asthma	14 (±6) L/min	39	Bowler et al, 1998
Asthma	13 (±4) L/min	17	Kassabian et al, 1982
Asthma	12 L/min	101	McFadden & Lyons, 1968
COPD	14 (±2) L/min	12	Palange et al, 2001
COPD	12 (±2) L/min	10	Sinderby et al, 2001
COPD	14 L/min	3	Stulbarg et al, 2001
Sleep apnea	15 (±3) L/min	20	Radwan et al, 2001
Liver cirrhosis	11-18 L/min	24	Epstein et al, 1998
Hyperthyroidism	15 (±1) L/min	42	Kahaly, 1998
Cystic fibrosis	15 L/min	15	Fauroux et al, 2006
Cystic fibrosis	10 L/min	11	Browning et al, 1990
Cystic fibrosis*	10 L/min	10	Ward et al, 1999
CF and diabetes*	10 L/min	7	Ward et al, 1999
Cystic fibrosis	16 L/min	7	Dodd et al, 2006
Cystic fibrosis	18 L/min	9	McKone et al, 2005
Cystic fibrosis*	13 (±2) L/min	10	Bell et al, 1996
Cystic fibrosis	11-14 L/min	6	Tepper et al, 1983
Epilepsy	13 L/min	12	Esquivel et al, 1991
CHV	13 (±2) L/min	134	Han et al, 1997
Panic disorder	12 (±5) L/min	12	Pain et al, 1991
Bipolar disorder	11 (±2) L/min	16	MacKinnon et al, 2007
Dystrophia myotonica	16 (±4) L/min	12	Clague et al, 1994

References

List of all references: Minute Ventilation (or Pulmonary Ventilation) in Healthy Subjects

Reference Web Pages: Breathing norms, Medical Graphs and Tables about Breathing Rates (Minute Ventilation) and Body Oxygen in Healthy, Normal and Sick People
Breathing norms Parameters, graph, and description of the normal breathing pattern
6 breathing myths 6 myths about breathing and body oxygenation (prevalence: over 90%)
Hyperventilation Definitions of hyperventilation: their advantages and weak points
Hyperventilation Syndrome in the Sick. Table 1. Western scientific evidence about prevalence of CHV (chronic hyperventilation) in patients with various chronic conditions (34 medical studies)
Normal Minute Ventilation in Healthy Subjects: Easy and Light Breathing (14 Studies)
Hyperventilation Prevalence Present in Over 90% of Normal People (24 medical publications)
HV and hypoxia How and why deep breathing reduces oxygenation of cells and tissues of all vital organs
Body oxygen test How to measure your own breathing and body oxygenation (a simple DIY test)
Body oxygen in healthy Table 4. CP (body oxygen level) in healthy people (27 medical studies)
Body oxygen in sick Table 5. CP (body oxygen level) in sick people (14 medical studies)
Buteyko Table of Health Zones with clinical description of most common zones
Morning HV Morning hyperventilation effect or how and why critically ill people are most likely to die during early morning hours

References: CO2 Effects Web Pages
Vasodilation: CO2 expands arteries and arterioles facilitating perfusion (or blood supply) to all vital organs
The Bohr effect How and why oxygen is released by red blood cells in tissues
Cell Oxygen Levels and oxygen transport are controlled by alveolar CO2 and breathing
Oxygen Transport depends on breathing and these two effects (Vasoconstriction-Vasodilation and the Bohr effect) are parts of two diagrams that summarize influences of hypocapnia (low CO2 content in the blood and cells) on circulation and O2 delivery
Free Radical Generation takes place due to anaerobic cell respiration caused by cell hypoxia. Hence, antioxidant defenses of the human body are also regulated by CO2 and breathing
Inflammatory Response is controlled by breathing since hypoxia leads to or intensifies chronic inflammation through over-expression of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1, while normal breathing reduces these processes
Nerve stabilization takes place due to calmative or sedative effects of carbon dioxide in neurons or nerve cells
Muscle relaxation or relaxation of muscle cells is normal at high CO2, while hypocapnia causes muscular tension, poor posture and, sometimes, aggression and violence
Brochodilation - dilation of airways (bronchi and bronchioles) by carbon dioxide, and their constriction due to hypocapnia
CO2: Best Natural Cough Suppressant and "home remedy" since it calms urge-to-cough nerve receptors located in the tracheobronchial tree and larynx
Blood pH regulation and regulation of other bodily fluids
CO2: Lung Damage Healer: Elevated carbon dioxide prevents injury and promotes healing of lung tissues
CO2: Skin and Tissue Healer
Synthesis of Glutamine in the Brain, CO2 fixation, and other chemical reactions
CO2 myth "CO2 is a toxic waste gas" myth
Breathing control How is our breathing regulated? Why hypocapnia makes breathing uneven and erratic?

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