Pulmonary Physiology Flashcards
What are the main functions of the lungs?
- Deliver oxygen to cells, remove CO2
- pH balance -> CO2/HCO3 buffer (carbonic anhydrase)
- Warm and humidify the air
- Filter the airways
- Defense -> Mast cells and goblet cells exert immune responses and mucus, prostaglandin, heparin, histamine release in response to pathogens, foreign materials
What is bronchiectasis?
-Remodeling, thickening of walls of large airways from recurrent infection that reduces airflow, harder to move mucus, and promotes infection
What are some factors that can decrease compliance of the lung?
Stiff lung/fibrosis
Volume of the lung
Surfactant
Obesity
In emphysema, what would the would PA02 be compared to normal? How about Pa02?
PA02 would be normal or low (air can get in but destruction of alveoli means less surface area for gas exchange)
Pa02 would be low
DLCO reduced
In fibrotic lung disease, what would the PA02 and Pa02 be compared to normal?
PA02 would be normal or low
Pa02 would be low
DLCO reduced
What are conditions that would cause a decrease in Pa02?
Obstructive lung disease
Restrictive lung disease
Hypoventilation
Decrease in diffusion
High altitude
R to L shunt
In PFT what would be characteristics of obstructive lung disease?
Increase in TLC, RV
Decrease in FEV1/FVC
Decrease in DLCO (emphysema)
In PFT what would be characteristics of restrictive lung disease?
Decrease in TLC, RV
FVC <75%
What are normal lung volumes?
The following is a graph of just maximum expiratory airflow of three patients. The red curve represents a healthy 25 year old male. Which curve (blue or green) represent a patient with obstructive lung disease and which curve represents a patient with restrictive lung disease?
Where is the TLC?
Where is the RV?
Green - Obstructive
Red - Restrictive
TLC - A
RV - C
Closing capacity is what? When does it increase/decrease?
Closing capacity = closing volume + residual volume
Increases
Age
Smoking
Decreases
Laying down
Anesthesia
Obesity
How do you calculate pulmonary ventilation (VT) “Minute Ventilation”
Minute Ventilation = vent. rate X tidal volume
How do you calculate alveolar ventilation (VA)?
VA = vent rate X (tidal volume - dead space)
Normal = 4.2L/min
V<strong>A</strong> (L/min) = 0.863mmHg*L/ml X [VC02 (ml/min) / PAC02 (mmHg)]
Volume of C02 expired/min = 200ml/min (normal)
A patient has a dead space of 150 ml, functional residual capacity of 3 L, tidal volume of 650 ml, expiratory reserve volume of 1.5 L, a total lung capacity of 8 L, respiratory rate of 15 breaths/min. What is the alveolar ventilation?
a. 5 L/min
b. 7.5 L/min
c. 6 L/min
d. 9 L/min
7.5L/min
A patient’s normal tidal volume is 500 ml with a dead space of 100 ml. The metabolism of CO2 is 200 ml/min. The respiratory rate is 10 breaths/min. The patient is then placed on a ventilator for surgery and the tidal volume is 1000 mls with similar metabolism. The machine has an additional dead space volume of 100 mls with a rate of 10 breaths/min.
What is the PACO2 for this patient after ventilation?
a. 100 mm Hg
b. 50 mm Hg
c. 25 mm Hg
d. 12.5 mm Hg
e. 5 mm Hg
c. 25 mm Hg