Respiration

Question 1

What is the function of the lungs?

Answer 1

Gas exchange: “the transfer of oxygen from inspired air into the blood and the removal of carbon dioxide from the blood in to expired air”

Question 2

What is normal gas exchange dependent on?

Answer 2

Adequate alveolar ventilation
Adequate pulmonary perfusion
Minimal barrier to gaseous diffusion

Question 3

What is hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction?

Answer 3

A physiological process of normal lungs that reduces perfusion to areas of lung that have low oxygen concentration.

Any blood that flows through the lungs are forced to uptake oxygen.

This prevents ‘shunt’ - the perfusion of alveoli which aren’t ventilated, thereby not pumping blood directly from the right side of the heart to the left.

Shunt = reducing oxygen concentration of blood from the lungs by mixing deoxygenated (high CO2) blood with oxygenated blood.

Question 4

The mouth is septic, at which point in the respiratory tract does the tract become aseptic ?

Answer 4

Below the larynx