Respiratory Flashcards
Embryonic stage
- Weeks 4-7
- Lung bud → trachea → mainstem bronchi → secondary (lobar) bronchi → tertiary (segmental) bronchi
- Errors at this stage can lead to TE fistula
Pseudoglandular stage
- Weeks 5-16
- Endodermal tubules → terminal bronchioles
- Surrounded by modest capillary network
- Respiration impossible, incompatible with life
Canalicular stage
- Weeks 16-26
- Terminal bronchioles → respiratory bronchioles → alveolar ducts
- Surrounded by prominent capillary network
- Airways increase in diameter
- Respiration capable at 25 weeks
Saccular stage
- Weeks 26-birth
- Alveolar ducts → terminal sacs
- Terminal sacs separated by primary septae
- Pneumocytes develop
Alveolar stage
- Weeks 32-8 years
- Terminal sacs → adult alveoli (due to secondary septation)
- In utero, breathing occurs via aspiration and expulsion of amniotic fluid → ↑ vascular resistance through gestation
- At birth, fluid gets replaced with air → ↓ pulmonary vascular resistance
Bronchogenic cysts
- Caused by abnormal budding of the foregut and dilation of the terminal or large bronchi
- Discrete, round, sharply defined and air-filled densities on CXR
- Drain poorly and cause chronic infections
Club cells
- Non-ciliated
- Low columnar/cuboidal with secretory granules
- Secrete component of surfactant
- Degrade toxins
- Act as reserve cells
Zone of respiratory tree that has least airway resistance
Terminal bronchioles
Where do cartilage and goblet cells extend to on respiratory tree
End of bronchi
Where do cilia extend to on respiratory tree
Respiratory bronchioles
Inspiratory capacity
IRV + TV
Functional residual capacity
- RV + ERV
- Volume of gas in lungs after normal expiration
- Includes RV (cannot be measure on spirometry)
Vital capacity
- TV + IRV + ERV
- Maximal volume of gas that can be expired after a maximal inspiration
Physiological dead space
- Anatomic dead space of conducting airways plus alveolar dead space
- Apex of healthy lung is larges contributor of alveolar dead space
- Volume of inspired air that does not take part in gas exchange
Physiologic dead space
- Approximately equivalent to anatomic dead space in normal lungs
- May be greater than anatomic dead space in lung diseases with V/Q defects
Pathologic dead space
- When part of respiratory zone becomes unable to perform gas exchange
- Ventilated but not perfused
What determines the combined volume of the lungs
The elastic properties of both chest wall and lungs
Hysteresis
Lung inflation curve follows a different curve than the lung deflation curve due to need to overcome surface tension forces in inflation
How does fetal hemoglobin has an increased affinity for O2
Has a decreased affinity for 2,3-BPG
Perfusion limited
- O2 (normal health), CO2, N2O
- Gas equilibrates early along the length of the capillary
- Diffusion can only be ↑ if blood flow ↑
Diffusion limited
- O2 (emphysema, fibrosis), CO
- Gas does not equilibrate by the time blood reaches the end of the capillary
Haldane and Bohr effects
HALDANE EFFECT:
- Occurs in lungs
- Oxygenation of Hb promotes dissociation of H+ from Hb
- This shifts equilibrium toward CO2 formation
- Therefore, CO2 is released from RBCs
BOHR EFFECT:
- Occurs in peripheral tissue
- ↑ H+ from tissue metabolism shifts curve to right, unloading O2
Response to high altitude
- ↓ atmospheric O2 → ↓ PaO2 → ↑ ventilation → ↓ PaCO2 → respiratory alkalosis → altitude sickness
- Chronic ↑ in ventilation
- ↑ erythropoietin → ↑ hematocrit and Hb (chronic hypoxia)
- ↑ 2,3-BPG, binds Hb so that Hb releases more O2
- Cellular changes (↑ mitochondria)
- ↑ renal excretion of HCO3- to compensate for respiratory alkalosis (can augment with acetazolamide)
- Chronic hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction results in pulmonary hypertension and RVH
Response to exercise
- ↑ CO2 production
- ↑ O2 consumption
- ↑ ventilation rate to meet O2 demand
- V/Q ratio from apex to base becomes more uniform
- ↑ pulmonary blood flow due to ↑ cardiac output
- ↓ pH during strenuous exercise (secondary to lactic acidosis)
- No change in PaO2 and PaCO2, but ↑ in venous CO2 content and ↓ in venous O2 content