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ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE TITLE III Numeric Skills Assignment Interdisciplinary Course Materials Biology

Course: MT001

Course Outline Topic: Evaluating percents Using proportions to solve problems Reading a graph

Project Title: The Smokestacks

Project description: Given case studies, students will use a ‘PredictionNomogram’ to obtain predicted normal values of a patient’s Forced Vital Capacity (FVC). They will then evaluate the patient’s actual FVC using a given vitalograph recording and find percentages comparing the actual readings to the predicted readings. Students will also use proportions to evaluate various facts concerning the dangers of smoking cigarettes.

Author: Sherri Kobis – North Campus Mathematics Department

Curriculum Expert: Thomas Franco – North Campus Biology Department

Semester Created: Spring 2009

A. Essential Questions What effects will illness caused from smoking or other factors have on a person’s breathing? What effects will long term smoking have on a person’s finances and time?

B. Introduction If a person is having difficulty breathing, one thing a doctor may do is perform a pulmonary function test. This would be a test to check the person’s lungs and air usage. One test that the doctor could perform would be a test of the person’s forced vital capacity.

A person’s Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) is the total amount of air that can be forcibly blown out after taking in a full breath. It is usually released in a period of 6-7 seconds and is measured in liters. Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV) is the amount of air expelled during specific time intervals of the FVC. FEV1, FEV2, FEV3, (etc.) is the amount of air exhaled during the first, second, third (etc.) 1 Erie Community College Title III grant second, respectively, of the FVC (measured as a percentage). 75-85% is normal for FEV1. That is, 75-85% of the forced expiratory volume (FEV) is normally released during the first second of exhalation.

You can obtain an expected normal value of a person’s forced vital capacity by using a Prediction Nomogram. To use the Prediction Nomogram (below), you would find the person’s height on the left and their age on the right. Connect the height and weight with a straight edge. The expected normal values for that person’s FVC and FEV1 is found where the straight edge crosses those lines.

Example: To be sure that you understand how to use the prediction nomogram, use a straight edge to find the predicted normal FVC and FEV1 values for a male who is 50 years old and 5’10” tall. To do this, you must first change 5’10” 2 Erie Community College Title III grant to all inches. Consider that one foot contains 12 inches. Multiply 5 feet times 12 inches to get 60 inches. Then add the 10 additional inches to obtain 70 inches. Therefore, 5’10” is the same as 70”. On the prediction nomogram, connect 70” with 50 years of age using a straight edge. You should see that the straight edge crosses the FVC line nearest to 4.9 L and the FEV1 line nearest to 3.8 L. So, the person’s predicted normal FVC value is 4.9 L and predicted FEV1 value is 3.8 L.

A vitalograph recording can be used to find a patient’s actual Forced Vital Capacity (FVC). The doctor can use a vitalograph recording to determine the patient’s Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV) during the first, second, third, (etc.) second. These results can then be compared to the predicted normal values taken from a prediction nomogram to help determine if the person is ill and/or in need of respiratory treatment.

C. Basic Directions You will first be given case studies for Mr. John Smokestack and his wife, Mary Smokestack. You will use the prediction nomograms to find their predicted normal forced vital capacity values given their age and height. You will then read the doctor’s vitalograph recording to determine their actual forced vital capacity values. You will use these values to determine if they are able to release the expected 75-85% of the entire FVC in the first second of exhalation (FEV1).

You will then be given various smoking facts and asked to use proportions to answer questions.

D. Things to Learn Before Starting the Project You must be able to evaluate percents and use proportions to solve problems. You must also be able to read a graph.

E. The Project Assignment Complete all questions in the space provided on this paper. All work must be shown and completed neatly and in an organized manner.

Part I – Case Studies

First Case Study - Mr. John Smokestack

Mr. John Smokestack arrived at the doctor’s office with a chief complaint of shortness of breath when climbing stairs. He states that he has a “cold that he can’t shake”. Significant medical history includes smoking 2.5 packs of cigarettes per day for 40 years. Mr. Smokestack is 5’8” tall and is 60 years old. a. Use the prediction nomogram for males (in the introduction) to obtain his predicted normal values.

3 Erie Community College Title III grant Predicted Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) = ______L

Predicted Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1) = ______L b. The doctor performed a vitalograph test on Mr. Smokestack. The actual vitalograph recording is below.

Using his vitalograph recording, find the FEV1 (the reading on the graph at one second), FEV3 (the reading on the graph at 3 seconds), and FVC (the highest air volume exhalation on the graph) to the nearest tenth.

Actual FEV1 = ______L

Actual FVC = ______L c. To make the test results easier to understand, the doctor gives the results as a percentage of the normal predicted values.

4 Erie Community College Title III grant 1. What percent of his predicted FVC did Mr. Smokestack achieve during his vitalograph test? Round your answer to the nearest hundredth percent. (Normal value is greater than 80%)

2. What percent of his predicted FEV1 did Mr. Smokestack achieve during his vitalograph test? Round your answer to the nearest hundredth percent.

3. Mr. Smokestack should have the ability to exhale 75-85% of his entire FVC in the first second of exhalation (FEV1). What percentage of the actual FVC did he exhale during the first second of his vitalograph test (actual FEV1)? Round your answer to the nearest hundredth percent.

Second Case Study – Mrs. Mary Smokestack

Mrs. Mary Smokestack arrived at the doctor’s office with complaints of always being tired and never having any energy. She was diagnosed by her doctor with a sinus infection a few weeks ago and, after taking her prescribed antibiotics, is still not seeing any relief from the infection. Significant medical history includes smoking 1.5 packs of cigarettes per day for 20 years. Mrs. Smokestack is 5’1” tall and is 55 years old.

5 Erie Community College Title III grant a. Use the prediction nomogram for females (above) to obtain her predicted normal values.

Predicted Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) = ______L

Predicted Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1) = ______L

6 Erie Community College Title III grant b. The doctor performed a vitalograph test on Mrs. Smokestack. The actual vitalograph recording is below.

Using her vitalograph recording, find the FEV1 (the reading on the graph at one second), FEV3 (the reading on the graph at 3 seconds), and FVC (the highest air volume exhalation on the graph) to the nearest tenth.

Actual FEV3 = ______L 7 Erie Community College Title III grant Actual FVC = ______L c. To make the test results easier to understand, the doctor gives the results as a percentage of the normal predicted values.

1. What percent of her predicted FVC did Mrs. Smokestack achieve during her vitalograph test? Round your answer to the nearest hundredth percent. (Normal value is greater than 80%)

2. What percent of her predicted FEV1 did Mrs. Smokestack achieve during her vitalograph test? Round your answer to the nearest hundredth percent.

3. Mrs. Smokestack should have the ability to exhale 75-85% of her entire FVC in the first second of exhalation (FEV1). What percentage of the actual FVC did she exhale during the first second of her vitalograph test (actual FEV1)? Round your answer to the nearest hundredth percent.

Part II – Questions

Set up a proportion to solve each of the questions below. Solve the proportion to find the answer. You must show all work on this sheet.

1. Mr. Smokestack smokes 2.5 packs of cigarettes each day. If there are 20 cigarettes in one pack, how many cigarettes does he smoke each day?

Multiply this answer by 365 days to see how many cigarettes Mr. Smokestack smokes in a year! 8 Erie Community College Title III grant 2. It takes approximately 7 minutes to smoke 1 cigarette (this includes walking outside, smoking the cigarette, chatting with fellow smokers, and returning to your job or activity). At 50 cigarettes per day, approximately how many minutes are spent smoking per day?

Divide this answer by 60 minutes to determine approximately how many hours of Mr. Smokestack’s day is spent on smoking.

3. Assuming the cost of 1 pack of cigarettes is approximately $5.00 and Mr. Smokestack smokes 2.5 packs per day, how much does he spend on cigarettes each day?

Multiply this answer by 365 days to determine how much money Mr. Smokestack spends on cigarettes in a year. (What a waste of money! Not to mention the irreversible damage he has done to his lungs!)

F. Student Resources MT001 or MT006 Textbook

9 Erie Community College Title III grant G. Faculty Resources

H. Grading Rubric

Suggested point values given with each answer below for a total of 50 points

Part I – Case Studies

First Case Study - Mr. John Smokestack

a. Predicted Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) = 4.3 L (+2) Predicted Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1) = 3.2 L (+2)

b. Actual FEV1 = 1.0 L (+1) Actual FEV3 = 1.7 L (+1) Actual FVC = 1.8 L (+1)

c. 1. 41.86% (+4)

2. 31.25% (+4)

3. 55.56% (+4)

Second Case Study – Mrs. Mary Smokestack

a. Predicted Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) = 2.9 L (+2) Predicted Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1) = 2.4 L (+2)

b. Actual FEV1 = 1.4 L (+1) Actual FEV3 = 2.1 L (+1) Actual FVC = 2.5 L (+1)

c. 1. 92.59% (+4)

2. 66.67% (+4)

3. 56% (+4)

Part II - Questions.

10 Erie Community College Title III grant 1. 50/day, 18,250/year (+4) 2. 350 minutes/day, approximately 5.8 hours/day (+4) 3. $12.50/day, $4562.50/year (+4)

11 Erie Community College Title III grant