Respiratory Flashcards
What is the primary function of the respiratory system?
To obtain oxygen (O2) for use by the body’s cells and to eliminate carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by cells
What are the two main types of respiration?
Internal (cellular) respiration
External respiration
Draw and label a diagram showing how blood becomes oxygenated
See lecture notes
What are the non-respiratory functions of the respiratory system?
Route for water loss and heat elimination
Enhances venous return
Contributes to the maintenance of blood pH
Enables speech, singing and other vocalisation
Defends against inhaled foreign matter
Can act as a filter for blood returning to the peripheries
The nose serves as an organ of smells
What are the two key zones within external respiration?
The conducting zone:
Respiratory passageways
The respiratory zone:
The site of gaseous exchange
What structures come under the conducting zone:
The nose
The nasal cavity
The pharynx
The larynx
The trachea
The bronchi
What is the structure of the nose
Bone and cartilage
What is the function of the nose
Provides an airway for respiration
Moistens and warms entering air
Filters inspired air
Serves as a responding chamber for speech
Houses the olfactory receptors
What is the structure of the pharynx?
Funnel shaped, connects the nasal cavity and the mouth to the larynx and oesophagus
What is the function of the pharynx?
Serves as a common pathway for food and air
Commonly called the throat
What is the larynx?
Also termed the voice box because it houses the vocal cords
What is the structure of the pharynx?
Bone and cartilage
What is the function of the larynx?
To provide an open airway
Act as a witching mechanism to route air and food into the proper channels
Voice production
What is the trachea commonly termed?
The windpipe
What is the structure of the trachea?
Supported by hyaline cartilage rings
The trachea consists of three main layers:
Mucosa: contain cilia for the removal of mucus
Submucosa: connective tissue layer containing glands that produce mucus
Adventitia: outermost layer supported by ‘c’ shaped hyaline cartilage rings fixed together with trachealis muscle
What is the structure of the bronchi?
The trachea split into two, forming two distinct bronchi
These bronchi lead into the actual lung and then divide again into the secondary bronchi
The bronchi continue to sub-divide until termination, approximately 23 orders of branching
What does the respiratory zone consist of?
Bronchioles
Alveolar ducts
Alveolar sacs
What is the respiratory membrane
Walls of the alveoli are composed of squamous epithelial type I cells
The external surface of the alveoli are covered with a complex network of pulmonary capillaries
Together, the alveoli and the network of pulmonary capillaries form the respiratory membrane
Scattered amongst the type I cells are cuboidal type II cells, which secrete a fluid containing surfactant
Describe the gross anatomy of the lungs
The lungs are located in the thoracic cavity, occupying the same anatomical regions as the heart and the great blood vessels
Each lung is suspended in its own pleural cavity
The left lung consists of two lobes and is smaller than the right due to the positioning of the heart
The right lung consists of three lobes and is bigger than the left
How is blood supplied to the lungs?
Pulmonary arteries deliver deoxygenated blood to the lungs (arteries take blood away from the heart)
Pulmonary veins take oxygenated blood away from the lungs and back to the heart for systemic distribution
What is the pleura?
A thin, double layered steroids (a membrane that secretes serous fluid)
The partial pleura lines the thoracic wall and the superior aspects of the diaphragm
The visceral pleura covers the external lung surface
The pleurae produce pleural fluid, a lubricating serous secretion that fills the pleural cavity
This allows the lungs to slide freely over the thorax
Explain the difference between external and inter Earl respiration
Internal:
Internal respiration refers to the gas exchange across the respiratory membrane in the metabolising tissues
Oxygen diffuses out form the blood into tissue
Carbon dioxide diffuses into the blood from the tissue
Internal environment only
External:
External respiration refers to gaseous exchange across the respiratory membrane of the lungs
Oxygen diffuses from alveolar air into the blood
Carbon dioxide diffuses out of the blood into the alveolar air
Internal environment and external environment
Outline the non-respiratory functions of the mammalian respiratory system
See lecture notes
Describe the two main external respiratory zones
See lecture notes
Describe and name the various layers that make up the pleural cavity
See lecture notes
What is breathing?
Also known as pulmonary ventilation and occurs in two stages:
Inspiration: where air flows into the lungs
Expiration: when gases leave the lungs
The process of breathing is made possible by the presence of pressure relationships in the thoracic cavity
What is inspiration?
When air flows into the lungs
What is expiration?
When gases leave the lungs
Discuss pressure relationships in the thoracic cavity
Respiratory pressures are always described relative to atmospheric pressures
Atmospheric pressure: the pressure exerted by the air that surrounds the body
At sea level, atmospheric pressure is equal to 760mmHg
What is intrapulmonary pressure?
Pressure within the alveoli of the lungs
Intrapulmonary pressure rises and falls with the phases of breathing
However, the intrapulmonary pressure always, eventually equalises with atmospheric pressure outside of the body
What is intra-pleural pressure?
The pressure within the pleural cavity (lines the ‘gap’ between the thoracic wall and lungs)
Fluctuates with breathing phases
Intra-pleural pressure is always lower than the pressure in the alveoli (intrapulmonary pressure) hence also lower than atmospheric pressure
What are the three main factors for negative pleural pressure results?
1: the natural tendency of the lungs to recoil
Due to their great elasticity, the lungs tend to assume the smallest size possible at any given time
2: the surface tension of the alveolar fluid
The fluid film acts to draw the alveoli to their smallest size
Both of these factors act to collapse the lungs
The third factor counteracts these forces:
3:the surface tension created by pleural fluid in the pleural cavity
Plural fluid secures the pleurae together in the same way a drop of water holds two piece of glass together, it lets the glass slip from side to side, however, separating them will require extreme force. In the same way, the lungs are held tight against the thoracic wall but are allowed to move up and down against it
What are the two stage of pulmonary ventilation?
Inspiration
Expiration
What process govern breathing
Breathing is a process governed by volume changes that lead to pressure changes which result in the flow of gases
V——-> P———> F(flow of gases)
The relationship between pressure and volume in the lungs is given by ….
Boyles law
States that at constant temperature, the pressure of a gas varies inversely with its volume i.e. as the volume decreases, the pressure increase
These principles of gaseous flow and pressure/volume relationships provide the basis of pulmonary ventilation
What is the basic principle of inspiration?
Increase the volume of the thoracic cavity, hence causing a pressure gradient, down flows air i.e. into the lungs
Increasing the volume of the thoracic cavity is accomplished by contraction of the diaphragm and the external intercostal muscles
What muscles are involved during respiration?
1: diaphragm
Contracts and flattens out, moving the rib cage out
2: internal intercostal muscles:
Contracts and lifts the rib cage up and pulls the sternum forward
This mechanism expands the thoracic cavity, increasing its volume and therefore drawing air into the lungs, down the pressure gradient
What is the basic principle of expiration?
Inspiration muscles relax and resume initial resting length, causing the rib cage to descend and lungs to recoil. This results in a decrease in thoracic and inter pulmonary volumes
Overall, this compresses the alveoli and increases the intrapulmonary pressure, forcing gases to leave the lungs
Mostly a passive process at rest, however can become active via the use of abdominal and intercostal muscles
Describe the pressure inside the lungs during inspiration and expiration and explain how this helps respiration
Inspiration
The volume of the lungs increases
The pressure on the outside is higher than the pressure inside
So the pressure inside falls and air flows in
Expiration:
The volume of the lungs decreases
The pressure inside of the lungs is higher than the pressure outside of the lungs
So the inside pressure rises and the air flows out
What are physical factors influencing pulmonary ventilation
The flow of air in and out of the lungs in primarily mediated by the contraction and relaxation of the various respiratory muscles
However, the passage of air movement also presents with some resistance, such as:
- respiratory passageway resistance
- lung compliance and elasticity
- alveolar surface tension forces
What is respiratory passageway resistance?
The biggest resistance to air is friction or drag, which is encountered in the respiratory pathway (mouth, trachea, bronchioles)
As a general rule:
Gas flow = pressure gradient / resistance
What is the equation for gas flow
Gas flow = pressure gradient / resistance
What does lung compliance mean?
Lung compliance is the ease by which the lungs can be expanded
Specifically, lung compliance (CL) is a measure of the change in lung volume (triangle VL) that occurs with a change in the intrapulmonary pressure (triangle P)
Change in lung compliance = change in volume divided by change in intrapulmonary pressure
The more the lung expands for a given rise in pressure, the greater the compliance
What factors influence lung compliance?
Factors which influence lung compliance:
- influences that reduce the natural resilience of the lungs, such as fibrosis
- blockages of the bronchi or smaller respiratory passageways
- increase in the surface tension of the fluid film in the alveoli
- impairments in the flexibility of the thoracic cage
What factors make up lung elasticity
Lung distension is required for normal inspiration
Lung recoil is essential for normal expiration
These two favours make up lung elasticity
What is surface tension of the alveolar surface?
Surface tension:
- gas-liquid boundary
Liquid molecules are more strongly attracted to each other than to the gas- this is surface tension
Draws liquid molecules closer together
Resists any force that tends to increase the area of the surface
Surface tension on the walls of the alveolar help to keep them to their smallest size
This aids in expiration
This surface tension is produced by a film of fluid called surfactant, a detergent like lipoprotein by the type II alveolar cells
What is used to measure lung volume and capacity?
A spirometer
How does a spirometer measure respiratory volumes?
Tidal volume: the amount of air that moves in and out of the lungs with each breath (around 500ml)
Inspiration reserve volume : the amount of air that can be inspired forcibly beyond the tidal volume (around 2100 to 3200ml)
Respiratory reserve volume: amount of air that can be expired following tidal expiration (roughly 1000 to 1200ml)
Residual volume: the amount of air left in the lungs following the realise of the expiratory reserve volume (around1200ml)