Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

TAS Respiratory > Physiology ✅ > Flashcards

Physiology ✅ Flashcards

1
Q

What must be overcome for air to flow?

A

Airway resistance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is airway resistance the result of?

A

Frictional force which opposes the flow of air

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Of what type of flow is most airflow in airways under normal conditions?

A

Laminar

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What equation determines the resistance for laminar flow?

A

Poiseuille’s equation:

Resistance = (8 x length x viscosity of gas) / (π x (radius)^4)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What does Poiseuille’s equation predict?

A

That resistance increases dramatically as diameter decreases

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What structures produce most resistance to airflow?

A

Trachea and larger bronchi

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Why do the trachea and larger bronchi produce the most resistance to airflow?

A

Because the branching of the tracheobronchial tree, the combined cross-sectional area is sufficiently large enough to provide little resistance to flow

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is the cross sectional area of the trachea compared to the total cross sectional area at the 23rd branching?

A

3cm^2 at trachea, 4m^2 at 23rd branching

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Why do young children have an increased resistance to airflow?

A

Smaller size of airways

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Why can the chest wall of young children become drawn inwards with each breath in young children, even in health?

A
  • Increased resistance to airflow

- Reduction in chest wall compliance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

When might the chest wall being drawn inwards with each breath get worse?

A

If there are any additional factors that increase airway resistance, e.g. bronchiolitis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is the compliance of the lung a measure of?

A

How easily it can be distended

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What formula calculates lung resistance?

A

Change in volume / change in pressure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is required to generate airflow during the first part of inspiration?

A

A relatively greater pressure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What does compliance vary depending on?

A

The exact lung volume

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

How does compliance vary with age?

A

A newborn child has very low compliance compared to a young adult

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is the typical lung compliance of an adult male?

A

0.09 - 0.26 L/cmH2O

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is the typical lung compliance for a newborn infant?

A

0.0005 L/cmH2O

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is the primary control of breathing via?

A

The autonomic nervous system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What stimuli can increase the rate of breathing?

A
  • Emotional stimuli
  • Peripheral chemoreceptors
  • Central chemoreceptors
  • Receptors in muscles and joints
  • Receptors for touch, temperature, and pain stimuli
  • Cerebral cortex
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What stimuli can reduce the rate of breathing?

A
  • Emotional stimuli
  • Stretch receptors in the lungs
  • Cerebral cortex
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Through what system can emotional stimuli change the rate of breathing?

A

Limbic systemic

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What changes detected by peripheral chemoreceptors may trigger an increased rate of breathing?

A
  • Decreased oxygen
  • Increased CO2
  • Increased hydrogen
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What changes detected by central chemoreceptors may trigger an increased rate of breathing?

A
  • Increased CO2

- Increased hydrogen

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Where are the respiratory centres located?

A

In the medulla and pons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What co-ordinates voluntary control over breathing?

A

Cerebral cortex

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Where is control of breathing mediated?

A

Mainly (but not exclusively) through neural centres in the brainstem

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What is responsible for the rapid respiratory response to changes in arterial carbon dioxide?

A

Carbon dioxide in the blood diffuses rapidly into the CSF, where it reacts with water to release hydrogen ions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Where are peripheral chemoreceptors located?

A

In the carotid and aortic bodies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

What are peripheral chemoreceptors sensitive to?

A

Oxygen and carbon dioxide

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Where are irritant receptors located?

A

In the upper and lower airways

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

Where are mechanical receptors located?

A

In the lungs and chest wall

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

What do the peripheral chemoreceptors, irritant receptors, and mechanical receptors facilitate?

A

The response to hypoxia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

How does the speed of response to hypoxia compare to that of hypercapnia?

A

It is much less rapid

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

Why does metabolic acidosis tend to be incompletely and slowly corrected?

A

As excess H+ will only cross the blood-brain barrier slowly

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

How can autonomic control of breathing be overridden?

A

Conscious control enabling, e.g. speech and breath holding

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

Where are voluntary conscious signals for breathing generated?

A

In the cortex

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

How are voluntary conscious signals for breathing conducted to the muscles of breathing?

A

Via the corticospinal tract

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

What is normal, quiet breathing termed?

A

Tidal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

What is the rate and depth of quiet breathing controlled by?

A

The brainstem

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

What determines the distribution of air within the lungs during tidal breathing?

A

The regional variation in airway resistance and lung compliance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

What happens to the volumes of the lungs in an upright child?

A

There is relative over-distention of the apices and relatively reduced volume at the bases

43
Q

Why is their relative over-distention of the apices and reduced volume at the bases in an upright child?

A

Because the wright of the lungs ensures that the pleural pressure is more negative at the apex

44
Q

At what age is the relative over-distention at the apices and reduced volume at bases in an upright child most prominent?

A

Infants and early childhood

45
Q

Why is the relative over-distention at the apices and reduced volume at the bases in an upright child most prominent in infants and early childhood?

A

It is opposed by the rigid chest wall and stronger respiratory muscles in adult life

46
Q

What is an increase in airway resistance usually due to in an infant?

A

Airway narrowing, e.g. smooth muscle thickening and/or airway cell oedema

47
Q

What will any increase in airway resistance in an infant lead to?

A

Greater effort of breathing

48
Q

What signs of respiratory distress may be found in infants?

A
  • Abdominal breathing

- Sternal/intercostal recession

49
Q

Why do infants in respiratory distress have abdominal breathing and sternal/intercostal recession?

A

The relatively weak intercostal muscles and non-compliant chest wall are unable to oppose the stronger contraction of the diaphragm

50
Q

What is the major muscle of respiration?

A

The diaphragm

51
Q

How does the muscle fibre content of the diaphragm differ in at birth compared to in adulthood?

A

At birth, fatigue-resistant striated muscle fibres account for only 10% of its muscle mass, which increases to 50% by early adulthood

52
Q

What is the result of the diaphragm having. lower content of fatigue-resistant striated muscle at birth?

A

Infants will tire more quickly, and are at increased risk of apnoea and respiratory failure if their work of breathing needs to increase for more than a few minutes for any reasons

53
Q

Give 2 reasons why work of breathing may increase in an infant?

A
  • Bronchiolitis

- Heart failure due to VSD

54
Q

What does the less compliant chest wall of an infant predispose the airway too?

A

Predisposes the immature airway to partial closure, particularly at the lung bases

55
Q

What does the partial closure of the airways due to reduced compliance in an infant lead to?

A

Intrapulmonary shunting of blood through non-ventilated areas

56
Q

What happens to diaphragm function during sleep?

A

It is largely preserved

57
Q

Why is diaphragm function during sleep preserved?

A

Because it is essential for maintenance of adequate ventilation

58
Q

What happens to accessory muscle function during sleep?

A

It is reduced, particularly during REM sleep

59
Q

What is the result of accessory muscle function being reduced during sleep?

A

This may contribute to hypoventilation and ventilation-perfusion mismatching, resulting in oxygen desaturation

60
Q

Why shouldn’t you place a child in respiratory distress in a horizontal position?

A

It can lead to ventilation perfusion mismatch

61
Q

Where does the matching of ventilation with perfusion take place?

A

Within the airways and alveoli

62
Q

Why might placing a child in respiratory distress lead to ventilation-perfusion mismatch?

A

Placing a child with respiratory distress in a horizontal position leads to an immediate reduction of ventilation in the dependent lungs. Sudden changes cannot be instantly compensated for, and so the change in ventilation is not immediately accompanied by a change in lung perfusion, causing mismatch and potentially decreasing sats

63
Q

What is minute volume?

A

The volume of inspired air and expired gases that move in and out of the lungs each minute

64
Q

What is the minute volume a product of in normal breathing?

A

Tidal volume and respiratory rate

65
Q

What is tidal volume?

A

The volume of each breath

66
Q

What does spirometry measure?

A

Lung volume changes

67
Q

From what age can spirometry be used?

A

5

68
Q

What values can be measured using a spirometer?

A
  • Vital capacity

- FEV1

69
Q

What values require different techniques to measure?

A
  • Total lung capacity
  • Functional residual capacity
  • Residual volume
70
Q

What is exchange of gas across a surface dependent on?

A
  • The gradient of partial pressure across it
  • The surface area
  • The magnitude of the diffusion distance
71
Q

How does gas transfer occur?

A

By diffusion

72
Q

Is carbon dioxide water soluble?

A

Yes, very

73
Q

What is the result of carbon dioxide being very water soluble?

A

It diffuses much more readily than oxygen, and is less affected bye increases in diffusion distance

74
Q

Give an example of when there might be an increase in diffusion distance in the lungs?

A

Pulmonary oedema

75
Q

What do the differential changes seen in blood carbon dioxide and oxygen content in respiratory failure allow us to understand?

A

Where the problem is occurring

76
Q

What happens when there is an increase in FiO2 in alveolar hypoventilation?

A

Correction of hypoxia

77
Q

What happens to arterial CO2 in alveolar hypoventilation?

A

Increased

78
Q

What happens when there is an increase in FiO2 in impaired diffusion?

A

Correction of hypoxia

79
Q

What happens to arterial CO2 in alveolar hypoventilation?

A

Normal or decreased

80
Q

What happens when there is an increase in right-left shunt or ventilation-perfusion imbalance?

A

Little change or no change

81
Q

What happens to arterial CO2 in right-left shunt or ventilation-perfusion imbalance?

A

Decreased

82
Q

How much oxygen is dissolved in plasma?

A

3ml/L of arterial blood

83
Q

How is the vast majority of oxygen transported?

A

Bound to haemoglobin

84
Q

What does oxygen saturation describe?

A

The amount of haemoglobin molecules that are bound to oxygen

85
Q

What is meant by 100% saturations?

A

All the possible sites for oxygen binding within haemoglobin are occupied

86
Q

What shows the relationship between oxygen saturation and oxygen content of blood?

A

The oxygen dissociation curve

87
Q

Which type of Hb has the steepest oxygen dissociation curve?

A

Fetal Hb

88
Q

At what kPa (partial pressure of oxygen) does adult Hb unload most of its oxygen?

A

2.5-6.5kPa

89
Q

At what kPa does fetal Hb unload most of its oxygen?

A

1.3-5.2kPa (so tissue has to be lower in oxygen for fetal Hb to give it up)

90
Q

Why does fetal Hb unload most of its oxygen at a lower kPa?

A

Because fetal Hb does not bind 2,3-DPG efficiently, and thus will tend to ‘hold on’ to oxygen at the expensive of maternal Hb during pregnancy

91
Q

Why is both fetal and adult Hb able to unload its oxygen?

A

Because the tissue store for oxygen is myoglobin, whose dissociation curve is even further to the left (meaning it binds oxygen more strongly)

92
Q

What happens if Hb binds oxygen more strongly?

A

The dissociation curve is shifted to the left, and oxygen is less readily delivered to the tissues

93
Q

What alters the oxygen dissociation curve?

A
  • The presence of hydrogen ions (the Bohr effect)
  • 2,3-DPG
  • Carbon dioxide
94
Q

What happens to the oxygen dissociation curve when there is an increase in hydrogen irons, 2,3-DPG, or CO2?

A

It is shifted to the right

95
Q

What is the result of the oxygen dissociation curve being shifted to the right?

A

Less oxygen remains bound to Hb molecule at the same partial pressure of oxygen

96
Q

What is the result of the oxygen dissociation curve being shifted to the right in the presence of hydrogen ions or CO2?

A

Oxygen tends to be better delivered to areas with higher concentrations of hydrogen ions and carbon dioxide

97
Q

Why is newly transfused blood less efficient at delivering oxygen?

A

It is low in 2,3-DPG

98
Q

What is meant by total lung capacity?

A

The maximum amount of air the lungs can accommodate

99
Q

What is meant by tidal volume?

A

The amount of air inspired and expired at each breath

100
Q

What is the usual tidal volume?

A

6-8ml/kg

101
Q

What is meant by expiratory reserve volume?

A

The amount of air that can be exhaled after normal, quiet expiration

102
Q

What is meant by residual volume?

A

The amount of air that remains in the lungs after the end of maximal voluntary expiration

103
Q

What is meant by inspiratory reserve volume?

A

The amount of air that can be inhaled at the end of normal tidal inspiration

104
Q

What is meant by vital capacity?

A

The sum of inspiratory reserve volume, tidal volume, and expiratory reserve volume

TAS Respiratory (8 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions