airway obstruction Flashcards
is a broad term that refers to any type of
blockage within the airways of the lungs.
Airway Obstruction
act as a passageway for air and also play a role
in filtering, warming, and humidifying it.
Upper Airways
Small air passages within the lungs where airflow obstruction often occurs due to conditions like asthma and COPD.
Bronchioles
can occur due to fluid buildup (pulmonary edema), scarring (pulmonary fibrosis), or accumulation of inflammatory cells (pneumonia).
Alveoli
This is the most common symptom, manifested
as shortness of breath, wheezing, and labored breathing.
Difficulty breathing
Smooth muscle bands within the airway walls control their diameter.
Bronchomotor tone:
Acts like a conductor, dilating airways
during exertion (fight-or-flight response).
Sympathetic nervous system
Acts like a calming melody,
constricting airways during rest (rest-and-digest response).
Parasympathetic nervous system
are commonly used to assess the severity and monitor the progression of obstructive airway diseases.
Pulmonary function tests (PFTs)
Measures lung volumes and flow rates.
Spirometry:
Measures oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Results
like hypoxemia (low blood oxygen), hypercapnia (high blood carbon dioxide), and
respiratory acidosis
Blood gas analysis:
a technique used to measure lung volumes,
airway resistance, that can show a result of air trapping (where air remains in the lungs after expiration).
Plethysmography:
Severe allergic reaction is also known as
Anaphylaxis
Irritants and inflammation trigger reflexes that constrict airways to protect them (like coughing to expel irritants).
Local reflexes:
this disorder can cause inflammation of the lining of the tubes that carry air to the sacs in the lungs
COPD
