Pulmonary blood flow, gas exchange and transport Flashcards
What is the systemic arterial supply for lungs?
Bronchial circulation
It is nutritive for lungs, supplies oxygenated blood to airway smooth muscle, nerves and lung tissue
What are the flow and pressure characteristics of pulmonary circulation?
- High flow
- Low pressure
Explain the flow of the pulmonary circulation
- Entire cardiac output from RV
- L and R pulmonary arteries take blood to lungs
- Supplies dense capillary network surround the alveoli, gas exchange with capillaries and returns oxygenated blood to LA via pulmonary vein
Gas exchange in lungs
- Gas will move across a membrane that is permeable to that gas, down it’s partial pressure gradient
- Will continue until equilibrium is reached
Normal values of alveolar O2 and CO2 partial pressure
P_AO2: 100 mmHg, 13.3 kPa
P_ACO2: 40 mmHg, 5.3 kPa
Normal values for arterial O2 CO2 partial pressure
P_aO2: 100 mmHg, 13.3 kPa
P_aCO2: 40 mmHg, 5.3 kPa
Normal values for venous O2 and CO2 partial pressure
P_vO2: 40 mmHg, 5.3 kPa
P_vCO2: 46 mmHg, 6.2 kPa
Difference between partial pressure and gas content
Partial pressure: O2 in solution
Total gas content: oxygen wrapped in haemoglobin + oxygen in solution
Rate of diffusion across the membrane is
- Directly proportional to the partial pressure gradient -> O2 has higher diffusion rate
- Directly proportional to gas solubility -> CO2 is highly soluble
- Directly proportional to the available surface area -> alveoli to red blood cell, have a large area
- Inversely proportional to the thickness of the membrane -> thin membrane
- Most rapid over short distances -> have a short diffusion distance, type II and elastic fibres
How gas exchange changes emphysema
Destruction of alveoli reduces surface area for gas exchange
PO_2 normal or low in alveolar cell
PO_2 low for arterial blood
How gas exchange changes in fibrotic lung disease
- Thickened alveolar membrane slows gas exchange
- Loss of lung compliance may decrease alveolar ventilation
- PO_2 normal or low for alveoli
- PO_2 low for arterial blood
How gas exchange changes in pulmonary oedema
- Fluid in interstitial space increases diffusion distance
- Impedes movement of gas, particular oxygen
- Arterial PCO_2 may be normal due to higher CO2 solubility in water
- Exchange surface normal
- PO_2 normal in alveoli
- Increased diffusion disance
- PO_2 low in arterial blood
How gas exchange changes in asthma
- Increase airway resistance decreases airway ventilation
- Bronchioles constricted
- PO_2 low in alveoli
- PO_2 low in arterial blood
By how much does the oxygen carrying capacity increase due to haemoglobin
200ml/l (98% of oxygen)
How much oxygen dissolves per litre of plasma?
3ml
What is the structure of haemoglobin?
4 polypeptide chains, 2 alpha, 2 beta chains, each associated with an iron containing haem group
What are the different types of haemoglobin in red blood cells and what are the percentages?
- 92% are HbA
- 8% are HbA2, HbF and glycosylated Hb (HbA1a, HbA1b, HbA1c)
What determines the degree of saturation of haemoglobin with oxygen?
Partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood
What percentage of arterial oxygen is extracted by peripheral tissues at rest?
~25%
Oxyhaemoglobin disassociation curve, at what point does the saturation of haemoglobin start significantly dropping?
- Partial pressure of oxygen can drop from PO2 100 mmHg to PO2 60 mmHg with very little effect
If the ventilation drops by less than 40%, how is the saturation of haemoglobin affected?
- There is very little effect
- Haemoglobin has an extremely high affinity for oxygen
Why does the haemoglobin saturation go from having very little desaturation to a sudden drop?
- Haemoglobin has a high affinity for oxygen
- However, once one oxygen starts to leave, then it is far more will start to leave
What’s the partial pressure of a resting cell?
40 mmHg
Factors that alter the oxyhaemoglobin disassociation curve
- pH
- pCO2
- Temperature
- BPG (chemical given off in hypoxic conditions, whether altitude or pathology)
- Exercise
How is the oxygen disassociation curve affected by exercise?
- pH decreases, acidosis
- PCO2 increases
- Temperature rises
- Oxygen demand increases
- Curve shift to right
- Haemoglobin gives off more oxygen to accomodate demand and lower saturation
What factors decrease the affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen?
- Decrease in pH
- Increase in PCO2
- Increase in temperature
- Binding BPG