Respiratory Overview Flashcards
what are the 2 components of the respiratory system?
ventilation and gas exchange
what does ventilation need?
airway patency and active muscles
what does gas exchange need?
adequate number of alveoli and no fibrosis of alveolar wall
how many lobes does the left lung have?
2
how many lobes does the right lung have?
3
what is the function of the ribs?
to allow a change in intrathoracic volume
what happens to the volume of the chest if you life the ribs?
increase in volume
how do you increase the volume of the chest?
lift the ribs and downwards contraction of diaphragm
when are the accessory muscles used?
when breathing is compromised
where does gas exchange occur?
in alveoli
what is emphysema
when alveoli join to form larger spaces with reduced surface area so the ability of blood to be properly oxygenated decreases due to decreased surface area
what can the failure of the alveoli to get O2 in and CO2 out be due to?
thickening of the alveolar wall making diffusion harder, inadequate number of alveoli (emphysema), mismatch between where the air goes to in the lungs and where the blood goes to in the lungs V-Q mismatch
what does gas exchange failure give?
type 1 respiratory failure
what are the respiratory symptoms?
cough, wheeze, stridor, dyspnoea, pain
what does a dry cough mean?
irritation
what does a productive cough mean
sputum produced
what does a bloody cough mean?
infection or malignancy
what is a wheeze?
expiratory noise
what is stridor
inspiratory noise
what is dyspnoea
distress on effort
what are the respiratory sigsn?
chest movement with respiration, rate of respiration, air entry - symmetrical/reduced, vocal resonance, percussion note - resonant/dull
what are the types of respiratory diseases?
ventilation disease, gas exchange diseases, respiratory infections, inflammatory diseases, lung malignancy
what are the ventilation diseases?
asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis
what are the gas exchange diseases?
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema), pulmonary fibrosis, ventilation-perfusion mismatch
what are the inflammatory diseases
cystic fibrosis, sarcoidosis
what are the respiratory investigations?
sputum examination, CXR chest radiograph, CT scan, pulmonary function - spirometry, bronchoscopy, VQ scan
what does a spirometry measure?
PEFR, FEV1 (forced expiratory volume), FEV1/VC (measure of respiratory function)
