Lecture 4: Gas Exchange Flashcards
what is pulmonary gas exchange?
diffusion of O2 from alveolar air into pulmonary blood
CO2 moves from ____ to ___
pulmonary blood to alveolar air
gases difuse down their ___ gradients
partial pressure
what is systemic has exchange?
excahnge of O2 and Co2 between systemic capillaries and tissue cells
the exchange of O2 and CO2 occurs via ___ diffusion
passive
passive diffusion is governed by what 3 laws?
dalton, henry, Fick
what is Dalton’s law?
the pressure exerted by each gas in a mixture is independent of the pressure exerted by other gases becasue the molecules are so far apart
the pressure of each individiual gas is its ___ pressure
partial
the total pressure of the mix of gases is the sum of ____
all the partial pressures
what is atmospheric pressure?
760mmHg
what is the partial pressure of humidified air? why is it lower than the atmospheric pressure?
500mmHg; because the partial pressure of water has to be subtracted
____ law states that the amount of a gas that dissolves in a liquid is directly proportional to the partial pressure of the gas in which the liquid is in equilibrium
Henry’s
what will happen to the difusion rate as long as Po2 in gas phase is higher than the Po2 in liquid?
there will be a net difusion of O2 into liquid
the concetration of a gas is equal to the ___ and ___ of the gas
pressure and solubility
the more soluble a gas, the ____ its concentration will be at any given pressure
greater
transfer of gases across cell membranes and capillary walls occurs by diffusion, described by _____’s law
Fick
Fick’s Law depends on what variables?
surface area, diffusion coeficient, partial pressure difference, thickness of membrane
what are 3 important parameters for efficient gas exchange in the lungs?
- partial pressure difference
- large surface area
- disatnce needs to be small
what is the driving force of efficient gas exchange according to Fick’s Law?
partial pressure difference
the diffusion coeficient for CO2 is ~ ____x greater than for O2
20
when diffusion is decreased, is hypoxia or hypercapnia likely to happen first?
hypoxia
the rate of O2 diffusing out of the alveoli is great enough that complete ____ is reached well before the blood reaches the end of the alveolar-capillary exchange unit
equilibrium
if there is an abnormal alveolar diffusion barrier, this will impair diffusion and ____ will not be reached
equilibrium
give 2 examples of conditions that impair alveolar diffusion, preventing equilibrium being reached
fibrosis and pulmonary edema