RESPIRATORY DISORDERS

Question 1

Pulmonary emphysema means there’s too much air in the lungs

Most commonly a result of long-term smoking resulting in obstructive or destructive lung processes

Answer 1

COPD; emphysema

Question 2

Three major events take place in lungs and lead to COPD

Answer 2

chronic infection due to particulate matter

accumulation of mucus and particle

resistance to air flow

Question 3

COPD results in?

Answer 3

increased work of breathing

decreased diffusing capacity of the lung

abnormal ventilation-perfusion ratios

gradual right sided heart failure

Question 4

Inflammatory condition of the lungs → alveoli fill with fluid and blood cells

Common cause is alveolar infestation by pneumococci

Answer 4

pneumonia

Question 5

Collapsed alveoli

▪ 2 most common causes are airway obstruction and lack of surfactant (premature infants):

• Obstruction may be from mucus plug or growth of a cancer
• Air is trapped in occluded alveoli but gets absorbed into the blood over minutes to hours

Answer 5

Atelectasis

Question 6

Produced by spastic contraction of smooth muscle in bronchioles

Answer 6

Asthma

Question 7

Caused by tubercle bacilli

▪ Presence of bacilli causes invasion of the lungs by macrophages and subsequent sealing off the damaged area by fibrous
tissue to form a tubercle

Answer 7

Tuberculosis

Question 8

what are some causes of hypoxia?

Answer 8

inadequate lung exchange

pulmonary disease

venous arterial shunting

limited oxygen transport

compromised tissue oxygen

Question 9

▪ High levels of CO2 in body fluids

▪ Usually results from either hypoventilation or circulatory deficiency

Answer 9

Hypercapnia

Question 10

Bluish skin

Caused by abnormally high levels of deoxygenated hemoglobin in the capillaries and other vessels in the skin

Deoxygenation can result from excessive demand for oxygen by the tissues

Answer 10

Cyanosis

Question 11

Feeling that the current breathing isn’t sufficient and increased ventilation is needed (desire to gasp or hyperventilate)

Answer 11

Dyspnea

Question 12

Pattern of periodic breathing present in a few different disease states

Characterized by periods of hyperventilation followed by period of hypoventilation, repeated every minute or so

Tends to result in constantly changing blood gas and pH and found in patients with heart failure and brain damage

Answer 12

Cheyne-Stokes Breathing

Question 13

In some individuals

Produces cerebral edema and/or pulmonary edema

• Cerebral edema

Answer 13

Acute Mountain Sickness

Question 14

Have increased hematocrit (like visitors), but also have:

barrel chest

decreased body size

bohr effect

Answer 14

living at altitude

Question 15

N2 is not a problem at seas level, but it increases as we go deeper in water and end up with N2 narcosis

Can begin after an hour of breathing compressed air at a depth of 120 ft

Answer 15

Nitrogen Narcosis

Question 16

Elevation of PO2 that occurs from breathing compressed air at depth can be harmful

High arterial PO2 can cause convulsions and disorientation

Answer 16

Hyperbaric Oxygen Toxicity (Acute Oxygen Poisoning)

Question 17

After breathing gas at depth for a period, we have distributed gases in free solution throughout our body

As we surface, the ambient pressure drops, and the gases come out of solution

Can be avoided by giving gases time to come out of solution gradually and be exhaled from the lungs

Answer 17

Decompression Syndrome (Bends)