Pulmonary and bronchial circulation Flashcards
Flash cards comprise Kam power/Deranged physiology and Wests. Only the first 3 pages of Nunns chapter included
Mean pulmonary artery pressure? Pulmonary trunk diametre?
15mmHg or 20cmH20 (25/10) = 1/6 of mean systemic arterial pressure
30mm
Mean pulmonary arteriole pressure
12
Mean pulmonary vein pressure
8
RV pressure
25/0
RA pressure
2
LV pressure
120/0
LA pressure
5
Mean systemic arterial pressure
100 120/80
Mean systemic veinous pressure
5-10
Mean systemic arteriole pressure
30
Mean systemic capillary pressure
20
Mean systemic venule pressure
10
Why is there a more pronounced pressure drop in the systemic circululation than in the pulmonary circulation?
- Muscular arteriole mediated blood flow regulation at entrance to organs leading to profound pressure drop across capillary system in systemic circulation
- Pulmonary artery shorter, thinner walled more distensible than the aorta ith less smooth muscle
Define vascular resistance
Flow = pressure / resistance
Resistance = flow/pressure
How are the pulmonary and systemic arterial systems different? Show this mathematiucally?
Identical flow
Pressure drop across pulmonary circulation (mean values) 15 - 5 = 10mmHg
In systemic circulation drop is 100-5 = 95mmHg
Therefore MUCH higher systemic vascular resistance
What pressures are the capillaries exposed to in the pulmonary system?
- Alveolar pressure - if alveolar pressure is higher than capillary pressure then the capillaries collapse
What is the difference in thw walls of the BV system between the pulmonary and systemic?
Pulmonary blood vessels markedly thinner
How to tell the difference on a microscope between a vein and an artery in the lung?
Veins are not accompanied by airways, whereas arteries are accompanied by arteries especially more distally; arteries and airways travel down the centre of lobules whereas veins travel down the peripheries of lobules
There is however not much difference in their thickness, but generaly veins are fewer in numbre, thinner walls, less muscular, less elastic and more collagenous. Interestingly pulmonary veins drain seamlessley into the LA with no fold/border. At their largest half the width of pulmonary arteries
How is the path different between a vein and an artery in the lung?
Veins are not accompanied by airways, whereas arteries are accompanied by arteries
There is however not much difference in their thickness
How is the pressure different between arteries/veins and capillaries in the lung?
Alveolar capillaries - these are compressed between alveoli by alveolar pressure
Pulmonary vein and arteries - extra-alveolar vessels therefore the alveoli/lung parenchyma pull on the veins and arteries as they expand
Alveolar vs extra-alveolar vessels? Whats the difference? How do their calibres change with inspiration and expiration?
Inspiration/expansion of lung volume - increased alveolar resistance, however reduced pulmonary vein/artery resistance
The inverse with expiration
What is the resistance equation
Resisatnce = input pressure - output pressure/flow
What is the difference between vascular and electrical resistance?
Resistance does not change depending on upstream and downstream pressure in electrical systems; HOWEVER physiologically the pressure changes do change the resistance in the lung
Draw a diagram equating pulmonary vascular resistance with arterial or veinous pressure? Give units? Why does this relationship occur? (2) HOw elastic is the pulmonary capillary?
Now draw another diagram describing the relationship between PVR and lung volume? Explain the trends? Explain the different effects on vessels in different areas that explain this? Where is the normal scope of breathing on these diagrams?
- Recruitment of capillaries with increasing flow
- Distension of existing capillaries with increasing flow reducing their resistance
Baseline flow is not enough to distend to maximal diametre as partial collapse; highly elastic thinner walled vessels with less muscle
What is the Fick principles
VO2 = CO (CaO2 - CvO2)
Volume of oxygen going into the lung, is equal to the amount removed by pulmonary blood flow which is equal to Ca O2 - CvO2
Rearranging the Fick principle for CO =
CO = VO2 / (CaO2 - CvO2)
How do you measure the cardiac output in order to calculate VO2?
Catheter in pulmonary artery
Arterial blood sample
Mixed veinous blood sample
Other methods - dye dilution, thermal dilution
Distribution of blood when upright? Draw a diagram describing this relationship for sitting up, supine and seated? Why is supine not straight?
How was this relationship derived? What i blood flow at the apex of the lung when upright? On exercise how does this change? What effect does reduced pulmonary arterial pressure have on standing curve? What point corresponds to no blood flow? What point corresponds to a change in gradient?
Radioactive xenon with breath hold and emission
Apex of upright lung under normal conditions has barely any blood flow
It is affected by change of posture
Exercise both basal and apical increase, fractional differences between areas of the lung becomes less
Reducing pulmonary artery pressure exacerbates this difference, and flow stops at the top where arterial = alveolar pressure. Much more flow at the bottom.
Raising pulmonary veinous pressure increases flow in the middle zone where veinous > alveolar, but in the middle zone it still drops to zero once arterial < alveolar
What is the 3 zone description of blood flow? Which are present under normal conditions? When do they become apparant?
The pulmonary arterial pressure is just sufficient for zone 1 not to exist - if you had a haemorrhage and decreased pulmonary arterial pressure then you may have zone 1; or if positive pressure ventilation you may induced zone 1.
What does the flow depend on in West Zone 2? What model is used to explain this? Why does blood flow increase as you progress down/descend?
Zone 2 = Pa > Palveolar > P veinous
Blood flow dependent on arterial - alveolar pressure (not veinous). Acting as a starling resistor where capillaries collapse
Blood flow increases due to gravity increasing Pa and Pv above Palveolar which is constant throughout the lung
Non gravitational causes of uneven blood flow in the lung (3)
Random variation sin resistance of vessels
Proximal acinus receive more blood flow than distal regions
Some regions have intrinsically higher resistance
What factors determine pulmonary blood flow?
- Lung volume
- Gravitational forces
- Cardiac output
- FiO2
- PaCO2
- pH
What effect does FiO2 have on pulmonary artery pressure? Draw a diagram of blood flow vs alveolar PaO2? Over what range does it mostly change?
Reduced Fio2 increases mean pulmonary artery pressure, reducing flow. This is hypoxic mediated pulmonary vasoconstriction
Maximum change between PaO2 50 - 150; steepest gradient below 50mmHg
Where does the response to alveolar PaO2 and blood flow get controlled? How does alveolar gas affect this because pulmonary blood has not yet exchanged? What channel is important? What can inhibit this mechanism? Pulmonary blood flow in the foetus is what proportion of cardiac output? What is PVR so high?
Pulmonary artery - as the artery is next to the airway and alveoli, via diffusion alveolar gas moves across into pulmonary artery. Vascular smooth muscle - voltage gated pottasium channels; and nitric oxide inhibits this process.
15%
PVR is so high because the lung has no oxygen coming through it
Metabolic functions of the lung?
- Activation of (1)
- Inactivation of (4)
- Metabolism of and released (2)
- Secretion of (1)
AT2 activation
Inactivation - bradykinin, serotonin, PGE1/2, F2, NA
Adrenaline, AT2 and vasopressin NOT affected
Metabolism of and released - LT and PG (AA metabolism)
Secretion of - IgA in bronchial mucous
PART 2
(already answered) Draw a diagram equating pulmonary vascular resistance with arterial or veinous pressure? Give units? Why does this relationship occur? (2) HOw elastic is the pulmonary capillary?
Now draw another diagram describing the relationship between PVR and lung volume? Explain the trends? Explain the different effects on vessels in different areas that explain this? Where is the normal scope of breathing on these diagrams?
Low lung volumes = loss of extraalveolar vessel radial traction causing partial collapse and vascular resistance rises
At high lung volumes it also causes increasing resistance likely due to high tension from extralaveolar vessel assymetric application of distension causing distortion of the vessel in a way that increases resistance
Draw a diagram describing pulmonary blood flows relationship to posture for sitting up, supine and seated? Why is supine not straight?
Apical blood flow higher when lying down because of the orientation of the lung is not horizontal it is instead slightly head down when lying flat. Blood flow is more uniform however
What is the effect of increased pulmonary veinous pressure on blood flow in relation to vertical distance in the lung in a seated patient - draw a diagram to reflect this