Minute ventilation

The Minute Ventilation calculator computes the rate of air breathed by a person in a minute.

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose units and enter the following:

• (RR) Respiratory Rate
• (TV) Tidal Volume

Minute Ventilation (MV): The calculator return the rate in milliliters per minute.  However, this can be automatically converted to compatible units via the pull-down menu.

The Math / Science

The minute ventilation is the amount of air a person breaths in a minute. The minute ventilation is calculated by the multiplication of the tidal volume and the respiratory rate. The normal tidal volume of a person is around 8- 10 ml per kg of weight. That is for a 90 kg person the tidal volume would be 900 ml. The tidal volume is actually the amount of air a person takes during each breath at rest. The normal respiratory rate is about 14- 18 breaths per minute. Hence, Minute ventilation = Tidal Volume  X Respiratory rate.  

The formula for minute ventilation is:

   `"MV" = ("RR")*("TV")`

where:

•   MV = minute ventilation
•   RR = respiratory rate
•  TV = tidal volume

Respiratory Calculators

• Physiologic Dead Space (Bohr Method)
• Tidal Volume
• Minute Ventilation