COPD Pathophysiology and Lung Capacities

During a clinical rotation, nursing students are discussing the pathophysiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They learn that one of the fundamental changes in the respiratory system in COPD patients is the destruction of elastic fibers in the lungs. This leads to a decrease in the ability to exhale air fully.

The nursing instructor poses a fill-in-the-blank question: "In COPD, the destruction of elastic fibers contributes to an increase in the residual volume of air in the lungs, resulting in a characteristic increase in _________ capacity, which is typically quantified as a volume greater than ______ mL in a healthy adult."