Respiratory 13 Flashcards
What forces can affect resistance in airways?
- Inertia of the respiratory system (negligible)
* Friction
What is responsible for 80% of the total airway resistance?
The resistance to airflow that enters the airway
When is airflow resistance sensitive to changes in radius?
When flow is not laminar
What do the different kinds of flow depend on?
the different size of the airways
What are the three types of flows?
- Laminar flow
- Transitional flow
- Turbulent flow
Which airways have laminar flows?
Small airways
How does gas flow in laminar flow?
Gas particles move in a linear fashion
Where does Transitional flow occur?
In larger airways in the bronchial tree
What is the resistance like in transitional flow?
The resistance increases
Where does Turbulent flow occur?
In the larger airways
What kind of airflow occurs in the bronchial tree?
Transitional airflow
Where is Turbulent flow found?
Large airways like the trachea and the larynx
What is the velocity of air in the large airways (trachea, larynx, pharynx)?
It has the highest velocity
What is the correlation between radius and velocity in the airways?
Where the airways are large the velocity is fast
Which airways have the highest resistance to airflow?
The smallest airways
