Resp System Flashcards
Alveoli
tiny, thin-walled, capillary-rich sac in the lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place
- about 500 mil in human lung
- about 280 billion capillaries in the lung (70 mL of blood at rest; 200mL during physical activity)
Type I alveolar cells
- covers most surface of alveolar walls
- flat epithelial cells
- do not divide (susceptible to inhaled or aspirated toxins)
Type II alveolar cells
- 7% of alveolar surface
- produce surfactant: detergent-like substance made of lipoproteins that reduces the surface tension of alveolar fluid
- progenitor cells (injury to type I = type II can multiply and eventually differentiate into type I)
Transfer of O2 and CO2occurs by _________ through the __________ ___________
diffusion; resp membrane
Diaphragm
dome-shaped muscle which flattens during contraction (INS), abdominal contents forced down and forward and rib cage is widened = increase in volume of thorax
External intercostal muscles
- inspiratory
- contract and pull ribs upward increasing the lateral volume of the thorax
expands lower intercostal - “bucket handle motion” of ribcage
- lateral increase in volume
Parasternal intercostal muscles
- contract and pull sternum upand forward, increasing anterior-posterior dimension of the rib cage
- “pump handle motion” of the sternum
- anterior increase in volume
Abdominal muscles
- expiratory
- external & internal obliques, rectus & transverse abdominis
- relaxed at rest
- involved in coughing, vomitting, defecation and posture
Internal intercostal muscles
- expiratory
- relaxed at rest
- during exercise, internal intercostal muscles pull rib cage down, reducing thoracic volume
Scalenes
- insp
- elevate upper ribs
Not active during rest; only active during exercise and forced resp to potentiate process of ventilation
Sternocleidomastoid
- insp
- raise the sternum
Not active during rest; only active during exercise and forced resp to potentiate process of ventilation
Pectoralis
- insp
- elevates ribs
Not active during rest; only active during exercise and forced resp to potentiate process of ventilation
Obstructive sleep apnea
reduction in upper airway patency during sleep (snoring, apneas, sleep disturbances)
- anatomical defects
- reduction in muscle tone
increased risk of CV disorders like hypertension; CPAP
CPAP
continuous positive airway pressure
Spirometry
pulmonary function test to determine the amount and the rate of inspired and expired air
- records the amount and the rate of air that you breathe in and out over a period of time
Tidal volume
the volume of air moved in or out of the resp tract (breathed) during each ventilatory cycle (NO EXTRA EFFORT)
Inspiratory reserve volume
the additional volume ofd air that can be forcibly inhaled following a normal inspiration
- can also be accessed by simply inspiring maximally, to the maximum possible inspiration
Expiratory reserve volume
the additional volume of air that can be forcibly exhaled following a normal expiration
- can be access simply by expiring maximally to the mac voluntary expiration
Residual volume
that volume of air remaining in the lungs after a maximal expiration
- cannot be expired no matter how vigorous or long the effort
- cannot be measured with a spirometry test
- RV = FRC - ERV
- *lungs never empty**
Vital capacity
mac volume of air that can be forcibly exhaled after a maximal inspiration
- VC = TV + IRV + ERV
Inspiratory capacity
the maximal volume of air that can be forcibly inhaled
- IC = TV + IRV
Functional residual capacity
the volume of air remaining in the lungs at the end of a normal expiration
- FRC = RV + ERV
Total lung capacity
the volume of air in the lungs at the end of a maximal inspiration
- TLC = FRC + TV + IRV = VC + RV
Volume of air at each breath
tidal volume (~0.5 L)
Minute (total) ventilation
total amount of air moved into respiratory system per minute
- TV x respiratory frequency (0.5L x 15 bpm = 7.5L/min)
Alveolar ventilation
amount of air moved into the alveoli per minute (alv vent < minute vent)
- depend on anatomical dead space (150 mL)
- subtract 150 mL from tidal volume (~0.5L) and multiple bpm
FEV1
- forced expiratory volume in 1 sec
- healthy person can normally blow out most of the air from the lungs within one second
FVC
- forced vital capacity
- total amount of air that is blown out in one breath after max inspiration as fast as possible
- TV + IRV + ERV
- similar to vital capacity
FEV1/FVC
proportion of the amount of air that is blown out in 1 second
- can be used in asthma patients to see if drug is effective in reducing bronchospasm (beta 2 adrenergic agonist drugs)
Obstructive lung disease
- shortness of breath due to difficulty exhaling all the air from the lungs
- due to damage to lungs or narrowing of airways (bronchial constriction), exhaled air comes out more slowly than normal
- at end of a full exhalation, an abnormally high amount of air may still linger in lungs
- exp process is longer
- bronchial asthma, cystic fibrosis, COPD
- FEV1 significantly reduced and FVC is normal/reduced (ration reduced to less than 70% or 0.7)
Restrictive lung disease
- cannot fully fill their lungs with air
- lungs restricted from fully expanding
- reduced vital capacity
- most often results from a condition causing stiffness in lungs themselves
- other cases: stiffness of the chest wall, weak muscles, or damaged nerves
- lung fibrosis, neuromuscular diseases (ALS, muscular dystrophy) or scarring of the lung tissue
- reduced vital capacity, FEV1 reduced, FVC reduced, FEV1/FVC almost normal
Helium dilution method
- only measures communicating gas or ventilated lung volume
- used to measure functional residual capacity (amount of air that remains in lungs at end of normal exp)
- spirometer connected to a certain specified vol of inert gas (this case is helium)
- Helium not taken up by vascular system; confined in lungs and able to move inside resp system during resp
- we know after equilibria, gas will be diluted so new conctn C2, gas will be dissolved not only in the machine which is V1 but also V2 (corresponds to FRC) or areas in resp system that are available for gas exchange
- V2 = FRC
Static properties of the lung
mechanical properties when no air is flowing (necessary to maintain lung and chest wall at a certain volume)
- intrapleural pressure (P ip), transpulmonary pressure (P tp)
- static compliance of the lung
- surface tension of the lung
Dynamic properties of the lung
mechanical properties when the lungs are changing volume and air is flowing in and out (necessary to permit airflow)
- alveolar pressure (P alv)
- dynamic lung compliance
- airway and tissue resistance
Bulk flow
gas moving from high to low pressure
Boyle’s Law
for a fixed amount of an ideal gas kept at a fixed temperature, Pand V are inversely proportional (one increases, other decreases)
Pleuras
form a thin double-layered envelope
Parietal pleura
covers the thoracic wall and superior face of the diaphragm
Visceral pleura
covers the external surface of the lung
Intrapleural fluid
- reduces friction of lungs against thoracic wall during breathing
- extremely thin
- ~10 mL