Respiration Flashcards
Purpose of respiratory system
maintain arterial blood-gas homeostasis
Respiratory system 4-step process
systemic gas exchange - CO2 into blood
gas transport
alveolar gas exchange - CO2 into alveoli
pulmonary ventilation - into atmosphere
Epiglottis
separate upper/lower respiratory tracts
Airways
trachea
bronchi
bronchioles
terminal bronchioles
respiratory bronchioles
alveolar ducts
alveolar sacs
Pulmonary gas exchange
across pulmonary capillary
diffusion high to low partial pressure
Type I alveolar cell
~95% of internal surface of alveolus
critical for gas exchange
Type II alevolar cells
release surfactant - a molecule that lowers surface tension
without = collapse
Fick’s law of diffusion
volume of gas proportional to surface area/thickness x diffusion coefficient x pressure gradient
proportional
Volume of gas dependent on
surface area
thickness
diffusion coefficient
pressure gradient (alveolar to arterial)
Why is the blood-gas barrier ideal for gas exchange?
very thin
vast surface
Mechanics of breathing
inspiration = volume thoracic activity increases as respiratory muscles contract
bucket hadle motion of ribs = increase lateral diameter of thorax
pump handle motion of ribs = increase anteroposterior diameter of thorax
Muscles of inspiration
diaphragm
external intercoastal muscles
scalenes
sternocleidomastoid
= increase pulmonary ventilation
Muscles of expiration
rectus abdominis
internal intercostal muscles
external oblique
Measure of diaphragmatic fatigue
bilateral phrenic nerve stimulation
Ohm’s law
current = voltage/resistance
flow directly proportional to pressure difference
inversely proportional to resistance
Poiseuille’s law
resistance dependent upon length and radius of tube
Exercise-induced asthma
flow limited during exercise
breath at high lung volume
end expiratory volume = higher at rest
resistance to flow becomes higer
Pulmonary ventilation equation
.v = vt x fb
v = volume
.v = volume per unit of time
t = tidal
fb = breathing frequency
Dead space
volume of air not particpiating in gas exchange (vd)
150mL in healthy individuals
Va = (vt - vd) x fb
Forced vital capacity
max volume air that can be forcefully expired after max inspiration
COPD
increased airway resistance
reduced forced vital capacity
sig reduced forced expiratory volume in one sec
Dynamic hyperinflation in COPD
increased end-expiratory lung volume
increased work of breathing
increased breathing discomfort
Respiratory muscle fatigue
not occur during prolonged heavy exercise
Ventilatory response to constant load steady-state exercise phases:
phase 1 - immediate increase in Ve
phase 2 - exponential increase in Ve
phase 3 - plateau - steady state
Hyperpnoea
PaCO2 regulation due to proprtional changes in alveolar ventilation and metabolic rate
insert equation
Ventilatory threshold
ventilation increases lineraly with exercise intensity until a point (Tvent)
~50-75% VO2 peak
after Tvent - ve increase exponentially resting in hyperventilation (decrease PaCO2)
Exercise-induced arterial hypoxaemia
50% highly-trained males duirng heavy exercise
majority females
reduction in PaO2 of >/10 mmHg from rest
occur because ventilatory demand exceeds capacity
EIAH caused due to:
diffusion limitation
V/Q mismatch
relative hypoventilation
Changes in breathing patterns during exercise
onset exercise - changes Ve achieved by increasing Vt
heavy exercise - Vt plateaus and further increase in Ve achieved by fb
insert diagram
Work equation
work = force x volume
total work = sum of elastic, flow-resistive and inertial forces