Basic Respiratory Physiology Flashcards
What are the 4 main functions of the respiratory system?
Gas Exchange
Acid base balance
Protection from infection
Communication via speech
What is the waste product of oxygen being used to produce energy?
Carbon dioxide
What type of blood does the pulmonary artery transport?
Deoxygenated
Where is oxygen delivered to in the pulmonary circulation?
The heart
What are the two main points of gas exchange within the respiratory system?
The lungs
Systemic capillaries
What is the average volume of oxygen exchanged in the lungs per minute?
250 ml
In which part of the respiratory system is the air shared with the digestive system?
The pharynx
What is the name given to the small flap of tissue folding over the trachea to prevent food from entering the trachea?
Epiglottis
Which parts make up the upper respiratory tract?
Pharynx Nasal cavity Vocal cords Tongue Larynx Oesophagus
Which parts make up the lower respiratory tract?
Lungs
Trachea
Bronchi
Diaphragm
Which lung has 3 lobes?
The right lung
What are the names of the 3 lobes in the right lung?
Superior
Middle
Inferior
Where is the point of gas exhange in the airways?
Alveoli
Which type of alveolar cells permit gas exchange?
Type 1 cells
Which fluid produced by Type 2 alveolar cells reduces surface tension on the alveolar surface membrane
Surfactant
What does surfactant reduce the tendency for alveoli to do?
Collapse
Is surfactant more effective in smaller or larger alveoli?
Smaller alveoli
At roughly what time gestation period does surfactant production start?
25 weeks
What is the name given to the change in volume relative to change in pressure?
Compliance
What does compliance represent?
The stretchability of the lungs
Emphysema is the loss of what?
Elastic tissue
Where is alveolar ventilation highest?
The base of the lung