Chapter 13- Respiratory System Flashcards
What is the respiratory system’s main function?
-Supply body tissues wit O2
-Dispose of CO2 produced by cellular metabolism
What are the two main processes of the Respiratory system?
- Internal respiration
- External respiration
What is external respiration?
Gas exchange between the external environment and the body cells
What is internal respiration?
Cellular respiration
What are the 4 steps of external respiration?
- Ventilation
- Exchange of O2 and CO2 in alveoli and pulmonary capillaries
- Transport of O2 and CO2 between lungs and tissues via blood
- Gas exchange between tissues and systemic capillaries
What is ventilation?
Movement or air into and out of the lungs
What is nonrespiratory function of the respiratory system?
Helps maintain normal acid-base balance
What is the anatomy of the respiratory system?
Airways
Lungs and alveoli
Structures of the thorax involved in air movement
What are the respiratory airways function?
Tubes that carry air between the atmosphere and the air sacs
What are all the respiratory airways?
- Nasal passages
- Pharynx
- Trachea
- Larynx
- Right and left bronchi
- Bronchioles
What are the lungs divided into and supplied by?
Two lungs divided into several lobes
Each supplied by one bronchi
What do the lungs consist of?
-HIghly branched airways
-Alveoli
-Pulmonary blood vessels
-Large quantities of elastic connective tissue
What do bronchioles walls contain?
Smooth muscle innervated by the autonomic nervous system
-NO CARTILAGE
Where are alveoli located?
Clustered at the ends of terminal bronchioles
What re bronchioles sensitive to?
Certain hormones and local chemicals
What zone do the Trachea and bronchi belong to?
Convection zone
What are the Trachea and bronchi?
Rigid, nonmuscular tubes made from cartilage rings (prevent collapse)
What zone do the bronchioles belong to?
Diffusion zone
What is the function of alveoli?
- Gas exchange (Air sacs)
- Increase surface area
What are the types of alveoli?
Type I
Type II
What are Type I alveoli?
Walls have a single layer of flattened epithelial cells
What are Type II alveoli?
Secrete pulmonary surfactant
What is the thorax/outer chest wall formed by?
12 pairs of ribs
Sternum
Thoracic vertebrae
What is the function of the thorax?
Protect lungs and heart
Contains muscles involved in generating pressure that causes air flow
What are the main inspiratory muscles?
Diaphragm
External intercostal muscles
What nerve innervates the Diaphragm?
Phrenic nerve
What nerve innervates the External intercostal muscles?
Intercostal nerve
What are the expiratory muscles?
Internal intercostal muscles and abdominal muscles
What is the name of serous membrane sac for the Lungs?
Pleural sac
What is the pleural sac?
Double walled, closed sac
-separates each lung from the thoracic wall
What is interior to the pleural sac?
Pleural cavity
What do the surfaces of the pleura secrete?
Intrapleural fluid (Fills pleural cavity)
What is the function of intrapleural fluid?
Lubricate pleural surfaces
What are the two layers of the pleural sac?
Parietal membrane (Most external layer, by thoracic wall)
Visceral membrane (Surface of the lung)
What is the Pleural sac’s function?
Allow lungs and thorax to slide past each other during breathing
What are the 4 different pressures important in ventilation?
- Atmospheric (barometric) pressure
- Intra Alveolar pressure
- Intra Pleural pressure
- Transpulmonary pressure
Example of an atmospheric pressure important in ventilation?
Sea level
What is the pressure of Sea level?
760 mmHg
What is the transmural pressure gradient?
Pressure gradient across the lungs
Inside pressure - outside pressure
What is the function of the Transmural pressure gradient?
Keep lung and chest wall together
-Lungs= Distentible and have elastic recoil
-Thoracic wall= Rigid and recoils outward
The pleural sac always has what pressure?
Subatmospheric pressure
What is elastic recoil in the lungs?
How readily the lungs rebound after being stretched so lungs can return to preinspiratory volume
What 2 factors do the Lung’s Elastic recoil depend on?
- Elastic connective tissue in the lungs (Stretchability)
- Alveolar surface tension
What creates alveolar surface tension?
The thin liquid film that lines each alveolus
What two aspects of alveolar surface tension produce the Lung’s elastic recoil?
- The liquid resists alveoli expansion making them less compliant
- Liquid lining on alveolus shrinks alveoli making them recoil
What would happen if only water lined the alveoli?
They would collapse
What makes alveoli more likely to collapse?
Smaller size and greater surface tension
What two factors oppose the tendency of alveoli to collapse?
- Pulmonary surfactant
- Alveolar interdependence
What is pulmonary surfactant?
Complex mixture of phospholipids and proteins secreted by Type II alveoli
What does Pulmonary surfactant do?
Reduces surface tension
How does Pulmonary surfactant reduce surface tension?
By dispersing between the water molecules that line the alveoli therefore reducing the cohesive force between water molecules
What increases the secretion of Pulmonary surfactant?
Deep breathing
What are the two benefits of Pulmonary surfactant?
- Reduces the work of the lungs
- Reduces recoil pressure of smaller alveoli more than larger alveoli
What is the overall effect of pulmonary surfactant?
Equalize pressures of different size alveoli, minimising the tendency of smaller ones to empty into larger ones and avoid collapse
-Stabilize alveoli
-Maintain gas exchange
Why do premature babies have difficulty breathing?
They lack surfactant (IRDS or RDSN)
-Alveoli collapse
-Alevoli have to re inflate every time =Energy drain
When is pulmonary surfactant made?
Last two months of utero
What are prevention methods of IRDS and RDSN?
Give mother steroids to trigger surfactant production
Give baby artificial surfactant while on a ventilator
How does alveolar interdependence contribute to alveolar stability?
Because all alveoli are connected to each other when one starts to collapse surrounding alveoli recoil to keep it open
What force do the surrounding alveoli exert on the collapsing alveoli?
Expanding force
-triggered when walls of alveoli are stretched and pulled in direction of collapsing alveolus
What is a pneumothorax?
Abnormal condition of air entering the pleural space
What happens to pressure gradient during a pneumothorax?
It no longer exists across the lung or chest wall
-Pleural and alveolar pressure now equal atmospheric pressure
Why does the lung collapse during a pneumothorax?
Because there is no opposing negative pleural pressure to keep it inflated
What is Boyle’s Law?
At any constant temp, the pressure exerted by a gas varies inversely with the volume of a gas
What is the formula for Boyle’s Law?
P1V1=P2V2
or P=1/V
What produces flow of air into and out of the lungs?
Changes in alveolar pressure
What happens when alveolar pressure is less than atmospheric pressure?
Air enters the lungs
What happens when alveolar pressure is greater than atmospheric pressure?
Air exits from the lungs
What happens when lung volume is altered?
Pressure changes in lungs
Air flow is generated
What changes the volume of the thoracic cavity?
respiratory muscle activity
What inspiratory muscle is responsible for 75% of thoracic volume change at rest?
Diaphragm
What DECREASES the size of the chest cavity?
-Relaxation of the diaphragm and chest wall muscles + Elastic recoil of the alveoli
What begins by the relaxation of inspiration muscles?
Onset of expiration
Expansion during inspiration decreases which pressure?
Intrapleural pressure
What happens to the lungs during expansion?
They are drawn into an area of lower pressure and expand
What happens to alveolar pressure to allow air to enter the lungs?
It lowers to a pressure level below atmospheric pressure
What happens to alveolar pressure to allow expiration (air exits)?
It increases to a level above atmospheric pressure and air is driven out
What happens to idntraalveolar pressure to cease outward flow?
Intralveolar pressure equals atmospheric pressure