Respiration Flashcards
What is the flow of air into/out of the lungs proportional to?
Pressure gradient
What is the flow of air into/out of the lungs inversely proportional to?
Resistance
What is the main relationship demonstrated by Poiseuille’s law?
Airway resistance is inversely proportional to the fourth power of the radius
What do small changes in airway diameter impact?
The resistance of airflow (small change in diameter = big change in resistance)
What percentage of the total airway resistance is made up by the pharynx-larynx?
40%
What percentage of the total airway resistance is made up by the large airways (>2mm diameter)?
40%
What percentage of the total airway resistance is made up by the small airways (<2mm diameter)?
20%
What factors impact airway diameter and therefore resistance? (3)
- Increased mucus secretion
- Oedema
- Airway collapse/expansion during normal breathing
What are the 2 categories of lung disease?
- Obstructive
- Restrictive
What is obstructive lung disease?
Narrowing of the airways causes a reduction in flow
What is restrictive lung disease?
Causes a reduction in lung expansion
What is the effect of both obstructive and restrictive lung disease?
Both reduce ventilation
What is FEV1?
Forced expiratory volume in 1 second
What is VC?
- Vital Capacity
- Maximum volume of air that can be expelled from the lungs after biggest possible deep breath
What is the ratio of FEV1:VC in healthy lungs?
Greater than 80%
Which graphs are used to diagnose lung diseases? (2)
- Volume/time
- Flow/volume
What causes narrowing of the airways in obstructive lung disease? (3)
- Excess secretions
- Bronchoconstriction (airway smooth muscle contraction - asthma)
- Inflammation
What is FVC?
- Forced Vital Capacity
- Volume of air exhaled with maximal effort after maximum inspiration
Which measurement is affected in obstructive lung disease?
- FEV1 decreased
- FVC usually unaltered
What is a sign of obstructive lung disease on a flow/volume graph?
Concave shaped decline in flow rate
What are examples of obstructive lung disease? (4)
- Asthma
- COPD
- Chronic bronchitis
- Emphysema
What does COPD stand for?
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
What happens in emphysema?
Loss of elastin
Which diseases are classed as subtypes of COPD? (2)
- Chronic bronchitis
- Emphysema
What forces are interacting to keep the pressure of the intrapleural space less than atmospheric pressure?
- Elastic recoil of the lungs tends to make them collapse inwards
- Elastic recoil of the chest wall tends to make it expand
- Inward and outward forces balance
What are the 4 types of airflow?
- Laminar
- Unstable (switching between)
- Turbulent
- Transitional
What factors influence the Reynolds number? (4)
- Viscosity
- Density
- Radius of vessel
- Velocity
What state of airflow is the fluid in if the Reynolds number is <2000?
Laminar
What state of airflow is the fluid in if the Reynolds number is between 2000 and 3000?
Unstable
What state of airflow is the fluid in if the Reynolds number is >2000?
Turbulent
What is the pressure gradient in the lungs?
Difference in pressure between the alveoli and the atmospheric pressure
How do you calculate airflow in a laminar state?
- Airflow is proportional to the pressure gradient and inversely proportional to the resistance
- Airflow = difference in pressure over resistance
Where in the airway is the flow rate the fastest?
- Centre
- Slows as you move towards the edges
What kind of airflow occurs in most of the areas of the lungs?
Turbulent
How do you calculate airflow in a turbulent state?
Airflow is proportional to the square root of the pressure difference
Which type of airflow needs a greater pressure gradient to achieve the same flow rate?
Turbulent (proportional to square root of pressure gradient)
What is transitional flow?
- Jumping between laminar and turbulent type flow at the branching points of the airways
- Bifurcations disrupt flow
What is COPD characterised by? (2)
- Increase in airway resistance
- Decrease in airflow
What is Chronic Bronchitis?
Long term inflammation of the bronchi and bronchioles
What is Emphysema?
Destruction of alveoli walls
How is COPD treated? (2)
- Bronchodilators (anticholinergics or beta-2 adrenoreceptor agonists)
- Glucocorticosteroids
What is the total airway resistance in a healthy individual?
1.5cm H2O .s.litres^-1
What is the total airway resistance in an individual with COPD?
5.0cm H2O .s.litres^-1
Why does the total ariway resistance increase in COPD patients?
Massive increase in resistance in the small airways (<2mm)
What percentage of the total airway resistance is made up by the small airways (<2mm diameter) in COPD patients?
70%
What happens to the diameter of the airways during inspiration?
Increases - dilation
What happens to the diameter of the airways during expiration?
Decreases - collapse
What happens to the resistance of the airways during inspiration?
Decreases
What happens to the resistance of the airways during expiration?
Increases
What is the pressure in the intrapleural space?
Sub-atmospheric
What keeps the lungs from collapsing?
The sub-atmospheric pressure in the intrapleural space
What happens in Emphysema?
- Loss of elastic tissue and breakdown of alveolar walls
- Collapse of airways during expiration is exaggerated
What is the resting lung volume like in an Emphysema patient compared to a healthy individual?
Higher than a healthy person
What is tidal volume?
Volume of air you breathe in with one breath
What effect does COPD have on the rate of inflation?
Decreases due to increased resistance in the airways
What are the 2 zones of the lungs?
- Conducting zone
- Respiratory zone
What is the respiratory zone?
- Alveoli
- Where gas exchange occurs
What is the conducting zone?
- All the airways which get the air to the alveoli (respiratory zone)
- Trachea to bronchioles
What are the 2 types of dead space?
- Anatomical dead space
- Physiological dead space
What is anatomical dead space? (2)
- Volume of the conducting conducting airways
- 30% of inspired air
What is physiological dead space? (2)
- Volume of lungs not participating in gas exchange
- Made up of the conducting zone and the non-functional areas of the respiratory zone
How do physiological and anatomical dead space differ in healthy individuals?
Values should be the same