Block 2 Unit 1- Pulmonary System Flashcards
What is the definition of Ventilation?
The movement of air during inhalation and exhalation
What is the definition of Oxygenation ?
The exchange of oxygen from the air to the blood
What happens to air when it passes through the upper airway?
The upper airway warms and humidifies air as it passes through before it reaches the lungs
Also traps foreign particles, bacteria, and toxic gases from inhaled air
The functions of the nostrils are…?
• Warm and moisten inhaled air
• Filter inhaled air before it reaches the lungs.
What helps line the nasal cavity and helps trap dust,mold, pollen, and other environmental contaminants?
Hair (vibrissae) and ciliated mucus membranes
What cranial nerve is the olfactory nerve?
cranial nerve one
The function of the Paranasal Sinuses includes?
• Lightens the weight of skull bones
• serve as resonators for sound production and provides mucus.
In order how does air go through the upper respiratory track?
1) Air travels through the nostrils
2) past the sinuses through the trachea to the lower respiratory tract.
The larynx connects what together?
The upper and lower airways.
The larynx is made up of what?
-the false vocal cords (supraglottis)
-the true vocal cords (glottis)
The laryngeal box is made up of what?
The epiglottis, thyroid, and cricoid cartilage.
The laryngeal muscles assist with what?
Swallowing, respirations, and vocalization.
The right lung has_____ lobes and the left has _____ lobes with a _____ _____
The right lung has 3 lobes
(superior, middle, inferior)
and the left has 2 lobes
(superior and inferior)
with a cardiac notch
What is the Hilum?
The Hilum is a wedge-shaped area on the central portion of the lung where the bronchi, arteries, veins, and nerves enter and exit.
Where does the trachea lies and how long can it be?
It lies anterior to the esophagus and is 10-11 cm long.
What is the functions of the trachea?
• Transport gases between the environment and lung
What is dead space?
Dead space is space that is filled with air but not available for gas exchange
What does the ribs do for the chest wall and diaphragm?
Ribs: bones that support and protect chest cavity; move slightly to help lungs expand and contract
What is the diaphragm?
strong wall muscle that separates
chest cavity from abdominal cavity
What is the functions of the Chest Wall and Diaphragm?
• Ribs- protect the lungs from injury
• Intercostal muscles and Diaphragm- perform
muscular work of breathing
What is the surrounding the bronchi to prevent them from collapsing?
Cartilage
Break down how the bronchi branches off in order
The bronchi are the two large tubes that carry air from the trachea to the lungs.
The right and left main bronchus are further broken down into primary, secondary, and tertiary bronchi.
Which bronchus is smaller and longer than the other?
The left bronchus is smaller in size and longer than the right bronchus.
why when intubating a patient, does the ET Tube tend to go into the right main stem and not the left?
The right bronchus is wider and lies straighter than the left bronchus.
The right is straighter which is why when intubating a patient, the tendency is for the endotracheal tube to go into the right main stem.
What are the functions for the Bronchus?
• Protects alveoli from small particulate matter in inhaled air
• Lined with goblet cells that secrete mucus which entraps particles
• Cilia sweeps particles upward for swallowing or expulsion
Does gas exchange happen in the bronchus?
False
No gas exchange occurs in bronchus
What is the transition between the large cartilage supported bronchi and alveolar ducts that connect directly to the alveoli?
Bronchioles
The Bronchioles are surrounded by ______ _______ used to constrict or dilate the airway.
Smooth muscles
What are the functions of the Bronchioles?
• Carry oxygen rich air to lungs/alveoli
• Carry carbon dioxide out of the lungs
The smooth muscles that surround the bronchioles can constrict or dilate the airway, what does these actions aid in?
Aids in the proper amount of oxygen getting into the blood.
Explain what a bronchospasm is?
Bronchioles are anchored to the tissues that they carry oxygen to and are supported by smooth muscle.
This smooth muscle tissue is sometimes prone to contract, reducing the size of the bronchioles.
This is known as a bronchospasm and is seen in patients with asthma and other lung diseases.
What functions as respiratory unit consisting of bronchioles, alveolar ducts, alveolar sacs, and alveoli?
Acinus
What is a round cluster of cells, usually epithelial cells, that looks somewhat like a knobby berry?
An Acinus
What are the functions of the Alveolar Ducts?
• Transmission of air from respiratory bronchioles to alveolar sacs
• Dispersing the air to the alveoli
How many alveolar ducts are there for each bronchiole?
There are 2-11 ducts per bronchiole, and about 2 million alveolar ducts in lungs.
How many alveolar sacs are there for each alveolar ducts?
Each duct has 5-6 alveolar sacs.
What are the functions of the Alveolar Sacs?
• The alveolar sacs are sacs of many alveoli, which are the cells that exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs.
• Contain collagen fibers and elastic fibers that allow alveoli to stretch when filled with air during inhalation.
What allows the alveoli to stretch when filled with air during inhalation?
collagen fibers and elastic fibers
What does the alveoli secrete that reduces the surface tension inside of the alveoli?
surfactant
What is surfactant?
a lipid type substance that is used to lubricate the alveoli so that the surface tension inside the alveoli is reduced, which prevents alveolar collapse (atelectasis).
pulmonary arterioles and venules allow for gas exchange and are affected by what?
Positive End Expiratory Pressure (PEEP).
The alveoli are surrounded by what that allows gas exchange?
The alveoli are surrounded by pulmonary arterioles and venules that allow for gas exchange
What are the functions of the alveoli?
• Oxygen diffuses through a single cell in an alveolus and then across a single cell to a capillary and into the bloodstream. At the same time, carbon dioxide (CO2) molecules, are diffused back into the alveolus where they are expelled out of the body through the respiratory system.
• Type II pneumocytes within the alveoli secrete surfactant that maintains the shape and the surface tension of the alveoli. This surface tension allows for more surface area through which oxygen and CO2 molecules can pass (keeps the alveoli inflated).
The respiratory system is controlled by which system?
central nervous system (CNS).
Specifically which areas of the CNS controls our breathing rhythm?
within the pons and medulla, nerve impulses are transmitted to control the breathing rhythm.
Breathing can be suppressed at the neurological level, what are some of those ways?
The use of narcotics, sedatives, or brainstem injury.
Ventilation is the process of what?
Ventilation is the process by which air moves in and out of the lungs.
What happens during the Active/ inhalation phase?
impulses received by the brain to the diaphragm, signal the diaphragm movement downward and while the rib cage moves up and out.
This increases volume of thoracic cavity and creates a negative pressure within the lungs.
What happens during the passive/ exhalation phase?
diaphragm and thoracic muscles relax and the lungs recoil. This decrease in volume, increases the pressure in the thoracic cavity.
What is perfusion and what does it facilitate?
It is the process by which the cardiovascular system pumps blood throughout the lungs.
Facilitates nutrient exchange at the capillary level.
External respiration requires adequate delivery of blood to the capillary beds of the lungs via the pulmonary circulation. What happens if this blood supply stops?
In the absence of this blood supply, there will be no transport mechanism for oxygen.
What is diffusion in general?
Movement of substance in solution (liquid or air) from higher to lower concentration areas.
It is the spontaneous movement of gases, without the use of any energy or effort by the body, between the alveoli and the capillaries in the lungs.
What is diffusion In the case of respiration?
the distribution of oxygen from the atmosphere through the pulmonary capillary walls and into the bloodstream. At the same time, CO2 diffuses from the bloodstream into the alveoli.
What are some perfusion disruptions?
shock, hemorrhage, dehydration, pulmonary embolism.
Think blocking from the lungs
Clubbed fingers occurs with what?
COPD
Angiomas (spider nevi) are associated with what?
with liver disease or portal hypertension (evident on chest)