Key Words: Respiratory System Flashcards
Apnea
Absence of breathing
Dyspnoea
Difficulty in breathing
Tachypnoea
Fast breathing
Laryngospasm
Narrowing of the larynx. This can fully close the airway and prevent breathing.
Rhonchi
A low-pitched, gurgling sound heard on auscultation is typically caused by an obstruction in the airway, e.g. secretions.
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Bronchospasm
Bronchi develop a spasm and constrict narrowing the airway.
Stridor
inspiratory, harsh noise (created in the upper airway), generally very audible - commonly heard in children with croup
Cor pulmonale
Abnormal enlargement of the right side of the heart as a result of disease in the lungs and/or pulmonary blood vessels
Epistaxis
Nose bleed
Haemoptysis
Coughing up blood - usually red + frothy
Hypercapnia
High levels of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream
Hypoxaemia
An abnormally low concentration of oxygen in the blood.
Hypoxia
where part of the body is deprived of an adequate oxygen supply at tissue level, this can be through the whole body or just affecting one region of the body.
Tidal volume
Amount of air that moves in and out of the lungs during a normal breath
Cardiac output
Heart rate x Stroke volume
Ventilation-perfusion (VQ) mismatch
An imbalance between alveolar ventilation and pulmonary capillary blood flow - when part of your lung receives oxygen without blood flow or blood flow without oxygen
Chronic bronchitis
blue bloater (cynosed + dysnoea / lack of exercise) - inflammation of the airways in the lungs.
Typically the small airways become blocked with secretions so the person develops a chronic cough.
Emphysema
pink puffers (skinny / muscle wasting + prominent thoracic cage) - the lung loses elasticity + the airspaces increase in size which can destroy alveoli + the lungs hyperinflate to increase total lung capacity
Hypoxic drive
A late homeostatic system is designed to increase respiration rate and depth (tidal volume) when the body’s arterial oxygen levels (SaO2) decrease significantly.
Pneumonia
inflammation of the lungs
