Respiration Flashcards
What is the main function of the lungs?
Gas exchange, the movement of oxygen from the air into the blood and the movement of CO2 out of the blood
What is a blood-gas barrier?
A barrier that the lung posses where one side is blood and the other is air
Where are ACEs located?
On the endothelial cells that line the pulmonary circulation
What is converted as blood passes through ACEs?
Angiotensin I into angiotensin II
What is the name of the vasodilator mediator that is inactivated by ACE?
Bradykinin
Give an example of something that is filtered from the blood as it passes through the pulmonary circulation
Blood clots
What property of pulmonary arteries allows the lungs to act as a reservoir for blood?
They are stretchy
Why is it beneficial for lungs to act as a reservoir for blood?
In case the body needs a burst of blood e.g about to jump
Allows white blood cells to be released in groups ready to fight infections
What is the conducting airways?
Airways that do not participate in gas exchange, from the mouth to the bronchioles
Describe the path of air from the nose/mouth to the terminal bronchioles
Air enters the body and into the trachea which splits into 2 bronchi, one to each lung, which then branch into smaller bronchioles
What is the anatomical dead space?
The volume of air located in the respiratory tract that does not participate in gas exchange, the volume of the conducting airways
What are the small air sacs in the terminal bronchioles called?
Alveoli
What is the respiratory zone?
The region of the lungs that take part in gas exchange
How does the blood vessels of the pulmonary circulation reach the alveoli?
The blood vessels get smaller and smaller and terminate in the alveoli sacks
What is responsible for the large surface area of the respiratory zone?
The dense network of capillaries
What is mucociliary clearance?
When ciliated epithelial cells propel mucus and debris trapped in it out of the airway
How are very small particles that reach the alveoli removed from the air?
They are ingested by alveolar macrophages
What type of muscle contracts the airways?
Smooth muscle
What is bronchoconstriction and bronchodilation?
Constriction = contraction, dilation = relaxation
When does bronchoconstriction occur?
In response to inhaled irritants and mediators such as histamine.
Which ANS is mainly responsible for the control of the airways?
Parasympathetic
When does bronchodilation occur?
In response to stimulation of adrenergic receptors
Give an example of a bronchodilation drug
Salbutamol
Which sized bronchioles are mainly affected when changing the resistance to airflow?
Medium sized
Which receptors in the lungs does adrenaline act on and what is the effect?
Beta-2 in the smooth muscle, causes muscle relaxation
What is the rate of gas exchange dependent on?
The surface area of the blood-gas interface, the partial pressure gradients and the solubility of the gas in the membrane