Physiology II Flashcards
What parts of the nervous sytem are involved in respiratory control?
- CNS
- Phrenic nerve - innervates diaphragm
- Sensory nerves - receptors that sense flow, pressure changes
- Vagus nerve
- Sympathetic nerves terminate near airways - control bronchodilation
- Parasympathetic nerves - control bronchoconstriction
What muscles are involved in Quiet Inspiration?
- Diaphragm
- External Intercostals
- Scalene
- Sternocleidomastoid
What is quiet inspiration and quiet expiration?
Quiet Inspiration: unlabored inspiration
- *Quiet Expiration:** unlabored expiration
- Passive process with no active muscle movement
- Elastic recoild and surface tension in alveoli pulls inward
- Alveolar pressure increases and air is pushed out
What muscles are involved in forced expiration?
- Internal Intercostals
- External oblique
- Internal oblique
- Rectus Abdominis
- Transversus Abdominis
What is the definition of an elastic structure?
Structure whos volume is directly proportional to the pressure difference across the wall of the structure
How is the Transmural pressure (Ptm) of the lung calculated?
Ptm = Pint - Pex
Pint = Internal surface pressure
Pex = External surface pressure
What is the relationship between transmural pressure and volume (in an ideal situation)?
How does this describe an elastic structure?
The relationship btwn Ptm and Volume is a positive, linear relationship (where slope = compliance)
- until it hits the elastic limit, which is the point at which the structure is no longer compliant (slope = 0)
How is compliance depicted on a Pressure/Volume curve?
Slope = Compliance
The less Pressure it takes to increase the volume (i.e. the higher the slope) the more compliant the structure is
How are alveoli connected?
Through bronchioles as well as pores of Kohn
What are pores of Kohn?
Openings in the interalveolar septa that allow circulation of the air from one alveolus to another
If pressure is higher in smaller alveoli (due to Law of LaPlace), why don’t alveoli collapse in on themselves?
**reminder, Law of LaPlace: P = 2T/r
==> smaller radius = higher pressure
Surfactant secreted by Type II pneumocytes decreases surface tension produced by water
- As surface area decreases, surfactant becomes more concentrated
- Part of the sufactant molecules dissolves in th water in the lungs, while the remainder spreads over the surface.
- Surfactance-treated surface tension is from 1/12 - 1/2 the surface tension of pure water
How is PTranspulmonary calculated?
PTranspulmonary = Palveoli - PPleura
What is the importance of pleura and pleural space?
- Maintains pressure differential
- Fluid lubricates for respiration
- Fluid helps maintain connetion between visceral and parietal pleura
What is the relationship of Pressure and Volume in the lung?
- Relationship is curvilinear
- Low volume = More compliance
- high volume = less compliant
- Respiratory muscles change the compliance of the chest wall, such that the curve shifts right during inspiration
and left during expiration
*Note, tidal breathing is depicted by small oval in curve
How does gravity affect lung space?
- At the apex: Alveoli are stretched out = decreased compliance
- At the base: lung mass pushes outward and compresses pleura = increased compliance
How does emphysema affect lung capacity?
- Tissue is distensible (has lost elasticity)
- Increased compliance
- But it is difficult to expel air from the alveoli
Therefore, Total Lung Capacity has increased, but elasticity and ability to exhale has decreased
How does Fibrosis affect lung capacity?
- Tissue is stiff = decreased compliance
- increased elastic recoil
- lung collapses and it is difficult to force air into the alveoli
Therefore, Total Lung Capacity has decreased, while the elasticity of the lung has increased and the ability to inhale has decreased
What is the definition of Total Lung Capacity?
Lung volume at which a static balance has been achieved btwn Maximal Inspiratory Force (resp. muscles) and Expiratory Force (elastic coils)
What is the definition of Functional Residual Capacity?
Relaxed Equilibrium Point:
Volume at which elastic recoild of lung and chest wall are equal, but opposite
What is the definition of Residual Volume?
Lung volume at which static balance has been achieved between Maximal expiratory force (resp. muscles + elastic recoi) and force generated by outward-directed elastic recoils of lung+chest wall
What is the difference btwn:
Anatomic Dead Space
and
Physiologic Dead Space
Anatomic Dead Space = Volume of the conducting airways where there is no gas exchange (i.e. respiratory passageway)
Physiologic Dead Space = Volume of the lungs that is not participating in gas exchange due to lack of perfustion (i.e. apex or V/Q mismatch)
How does pleural pressure drive air flow?
Diaphragm and other respiratory muscles manipulat pleural pressure, producing a negative alveolar pressure gradient with environmental pressures, allowing for air to flow into the lungs
Name the lung function occuring at each pressure value:
A = Pressures at Functional residual capacity (exhale and hold)
B = pressures during inspiration
C = Pressures at peak inspiration (inhale and hold)
What are the two main factors moving O2 inside the lungs?
Combination of:
Mass Airflow
and
Molecular Diffusion
(becomes more important in periphery)
Where is airway resistance greatest in the lungs?
Resistance = change in pressure/flow
It is greatest in the mid-sized bronchi and decreases to almost nothing in terminal bronchi
What is the relationship between airway resistance and lung volume?
Resistance increases rapidly with lung volumes < functional residual capacity
Decreases with lung volumes > FRC
What is the relationship between airflow and volume?
- *Inspiration:**
- Markedly negative pleural pressure with large transmural pressure
- Flow high at low Volume
- Remains high through most of VC despite decreased inspiratory force
- *Expiration:**
- Airflow reaches peak near TLC
- Flow rate falls progressively after TLC due to intrathoracic airway narrowing and increasing resistance
What does O2 have to move through to get from enironmental air to the target tissue?
- atmospheric air to lung alveoli by pulmonary ventilation
- through layers of respiratory membrane (pneumocytes –> interstitial fluid –> capillary lumen –> RBC) to hemoglobin of RBC by simple diffusion
- from pulmonary capillaries to tissue capillaries by circulation
- from hemoglobin to interstitial fluid and tissue cells via simple diffusion
What is simple diffusion?
net movement from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration
What is the driving force of simple diffusion for O2 and CO2 in respiratory physiology?
Partial Pressures:
PO2
PCO2
What is partial pressure?
Partial pressure = (Total Pressure)*(fractional gas concentration)
Why is alveolar air different in composition from atmospheric air?
- Dry air is moistened by air passages
- Alveolar air is not completely replaced with each breath
- CO2 is constantly entering alveolar air
- O2 is constantly exiting alveolar air