Brandon Ong's M1 Anki Deck__3. Physiology__C. Respiratory System Flashcards
What is inspiration?
Expansion of chest cage → ↓ pleural pressure → ↓ alveolar pressure to -1cm → air flows into lungs
What is expiration?
Elastic recoil of lungs or compression of pulmonary cavities in forced expiration → ↑ pleural pressure → ↑ alveolar pressure to +1cm → air flows out of lungs
What affects work of breathing?
- ↓ compliance → ↑ work of breathing
- ↑ airway resistance → ↑ work of breathing
- ↑ respiratory demand → ↑ work of breathing (↑ 50x in exercise)
What is compliance of lungs?
<img></img><div>- Measures stretchability of lungs & chest wall</div><div>- Transpulmonary pressure reflects compliance</div><div> - Norm: ↑ 1cm transpulmonary pressure → ↑ 200ml alveolar volume</div>
What determines lung compliance?
- Elastic forces of lung tissue
- Surface tension elastic force
What are the factors affecting alveolar collapse?
<img></img><div>- Surfactant helps to reduce surface tension elastic force</div>
What can disrupt normal ventilation?
- Pregnancy 3rd trimester:<div> - ↑ intraabdominal pressure → ↓ diaphragm movement → ↓ lung vol & compliance</div><div>- Pneumothorax or pleural effusion</div><div> - Expansion of pleural space → intrapleural pressure cannot fall enough to give inspiration</div>
What is a tension pneumothorax and how is it treated?
- Fascia in chest wall develops 1-way valve, allowing air to enter but not exit
- Air in pleural space develops high pressure and displaces mediastinal structures towards side of normal lung, distorting great vessels, compromise blood flow
Treatment: needle thoracostomy to relieve pressure, converts tension pneumothorax into normal pneumothorax
What are the clinical signs of tension pneumothorax?
<img></img>
How is airway resistance controlled?
- Bronchodilation: sympathetic nerves/hormone (epinephrine on β2 adrenergic receptors)
- Bronchoconstriction: parasympathetic by vagus nerve (acetylcholine)
- Local secretory factors can trigger bronchoconstriction
- Eg pollen causes mast cells to release histamine & slow-reacting substance of anaphylaxis
What can result from narrowing of bronchi & bronchioles?
Obstructive diseases
What can bronchodilate asthmatic airways?
β2 adrenergic agonists
What are the protective functions of the upper respiratory tract?
- <font>Mucus</font>(secreted by goblet cells): moistens inspired air and traps small particles
- <font>Cilia</font>(from nose to terminal bronchioles): beat to move mucus towards pharynx where it is swallowed or coughed out
- <font>Upper respiratory passages:</font>warm, humidify, filter air
- <font>Cough reflex:</font>foreign matter/irritation of airways (esp carina) → rapid inspiration, closure of epiglottis & vocal cords → forced expiration at high pressure → expel foreign matter
- <font>Sneeze reflex:</font>similar to cough reflex but apply to nasal passageways
What happens in asthma?
- Excessive mucus accumulation
- Airway swelling
- Due to immune response
- Steroids can regulate
What can defective ciliary movement result in?
Infections
What is the danger of artificial respiration?
- Bypasses protective mechanisms of upper respiratory tract
- Can lead to ventilator-associated pneumonia
What are the functional volumes of ventilation?
<img></img>
What are the variations of the functional volumes of ventilation?
- In exercise, tidal volume recruits IRV & ERV to increase ventilation
- Ability to ventilate depends on:
- Chest wall integrity (eg kyphosis - humpback)
- Lung resistance/elasticity/collapse
- Other restrictions (eg abdominal pain)
What is minute respiratory volume and what are possible variations?
- Tidal vol x Respiratory rate
- Norm: 0.5L x 12 breaths/min = 6L/min
<div>- Deviations:<br></br></div>
<div> - Hyperventilation</div>
<div> - Hypoventilation</div>
<div> - Tachypnea (increased rate of breathing)</div>
<div> - Dyspnea (distressful sensation of breathing)</div>
What is max expiratory flow?
- Rate of expiration is limited: beyond a limit, increased pleural pressure in expiration collapses bronchioles, increasing airway resistance and opposing expulsion of alveolar air
- Max expiratory flow greater when lungs are filled: in enlarged lung, bronchioles held open by taut elastic pull of lung structural elements
What is spirometry used for and what are its values?
- Used to measure functional volumes of ventilation
- <font>FVC</font>(forced vital capacity): maximum inspiration then maximum forced expiration
- <font>FEV1:</font>forced vital capacity in 1st second
- Norm: FEV1/FVC = 80% (ie 80% of air is exhaled in 1st second)
- Decreased FEV1/FVC in obstructive diseases (greater airway resistance)
- No change in restrictive diseases (poorer compliance, lungs cannot expand)
What is the rate of alveolar ventilation?
- Rate at which new air reaches gas exchange areas of lung (alveoli, alveolar sacs, alveolar ducts, respiratory bronchioles)
- Key to gas exchange in lungs - VA = Respiratory rate x (Tidal vol - Physiologic dead space)
- Norm VA = 12 breaths/min x (0.5L-0.15L) = 4.2 L/min
What are the types of dead space?
- <font>Anatomic dead space:</font>air filling conducting passages where gas exchange does not occur (nose, pharynx, trachea), expired first on expiration
- <font>Physiologic dead space:</font>anatomic dead space + air ventilating nonfunctional/partially-functional alveoli (eg due to poor perfusion)
- Normally, all alveoli functional, anatomic dead space = physiologic dead space
What are the characteristics of adult pulmonary circulation?
- Low pressure: pulmonary artery = 24/8mmHg (vs 120/80 of aorta)
- High-flow: highly compliant pulmonary arteries receive whole RV stroke volume
- Lungs serve as blood reservoir
- CO affects pulmonary blood flow
When do pulmonary vessels constrict?
- Constrict when alveoli PO2 decreases (esp below 73mmHg)
- Opposite of systemic vessels which dilate during hypoxia
- Local vessels of poorly-ventilated alveoli constrict, directing bloodflow to elsewhere where gas exchange is more effective
What happens to pulmonary vessels during exercise?
- During exercise, 4x-7x extra blood flow accommodated by:
- Increasing no of open capillaries
- Capillary distension
- Increase in pulmonary arterial pressure
What is the effect of gravity on pulmonary circulation?
- Significant since pulmonary artery pressure only 24/8mmHg
- 15mmHg of lungs above heart, 8mmHg below
What are the zones of blood flow in lungs?
<img></img>
What are the characteristics of fetal pulmonary circulation?
- Lungs collapsed, oxygenation via placenta
- Blood entering RA from IVC (from umbilical vein) directed through foramen ovale into LA
- Blood entering RA from SVC directed into RV → pulmonary art → through ductus arteriosus into desc aorta
- At birth:
- Lungs expand and are perfused
- Umbilical artery & veins obliterated
- Foramen ovale closes, ductus arteriosus constricts
What is a pulmonary embolism and how is it treated?
- When embolus (blood clot), fat globule or air bubble lodges in pulmonary artery (severity depends on significance of artery occluded)
- Large embolus results in acute respiratory distress due to major decrease in blood oxygenation
- Blockage of artery supplying bronchopulmonary segment results in pulmonary infarction
Treatment: t-PA, streptokinase, embolectomy (heparin & warfarin too slow)
What are the clinical signs of pulmonary embolism?
<img></img>
How long does blood take to flow through pulmonary capillaries?
- Blood passes through pulmonary capillaries in 0.8s
- With ↑ CO, blood passes through in 0.3s - Blood normally stays in capillaries 3x longer than necessary for oxygenation, can fully oxygenate even in shorter exposure time during exercise
- In healthy people, rate of blood flow does not limit oxygenation
What is the pulmonary capillary pressure?
7mmHg
How are the alveoli kept dry?
- Due to hydrostatic & osmotic pressure of capillaries & interstitial fluid: mean filtration pressure = +1mmHg outwards
- Slight continual flow of fluid from capillaries to interstitial space - Pulmonary lymphatic pump maintains slight negative pressure in interstitial spaces
- Negative pressure keeps alveoli dry
What is the safety factor preventing pulmonary edema?
Pulmonary capillary pressure must rise from 7mmHg to 28mmHg (acute) or 40mmHg (chronic) to cause pulmonary edema
What is the basis for gas exchange?
Diffusion from area of high partial pressure to low partial pressure
What is partial pressure proportional to?
Conc of dissolved gas
- Gas complexed w hemoglobin does not exert partial pressure
What must be fulfilled in order for gas exchange to occur?
- Alveoli must be ventilated by air
- Alveoli must be perfused by blood
- Diffusion must be efficient
How is solubility of a gas and partial pressure related?
Greater solubility of gas → more amt of dissolved gas at particular partial pressure
- Solubility of CO2 > solubility of O2
Why is alveolar air humidified?
Prevent damage to respiratory epithelium
Why is alveolar air only partially replaced by atmospheric air with each breath?
Prevent sudden changes in blood gas conc
How does alveolar PO2 & PCO2 change with rate of ventilation?
- Alveolar PO2 increases w rate of ventilation
- Upper limit = 149mmHg due to dilution with water vapour as air is humidified - Alveolar PCO2 decreases w rate of ventilation
What is normal expired air comprised of?
Combination of dead space air & alveolar air
- Gas conc between alveolar air & humidified atmospheric air
What are the normal partial pressures?
<img></img>
What are the factors affecting gas exchange and what problems can arise from them?
- Thickness of respiratory membrane
- Edema fluid ↑ thickness
- Fibrosis ↑ thickness - Surface area of respiratory membrane
- Emphysema (alveoli coalesce) ↓ SA
- Infection fills alveoli w WBC → ↓ SA - Diffusion coefficient: CO2 more soluble in blood, diffuses faster
- Partial pressure difference of gas
- ↓ PO2 at high altitude
What affects the thickness of the respiratory membrane?
Increased thickness decreases diffusion efficiency.