Respiratory Physiology Flashcards
What is respiratory physiology?
The study of how oxygen is brought into the lungs and delivered to the tissue and how carbon dioxide is removed
What are the functions of the respiratory system?
Provides oxygen and eliminates carbon dioxide Protects against microbial infections Regulates blood pH Contributes to phonation Contributes to olfaction Is a reservoir for blood
What are the structures in the upper airway?
Nasal and oral cavities
Pharynx
Larynx
What is the structure of the trachea and primary bronchi?
C-shape cartilage anteriorly and smooth muscle posteriorly
What is the structure of the bronchi?
Plates of cartilage and smooth muscle
What is the structure of the bronchioles?
Smooth muscle only
What is the conducting zone?
Leads gas to the gas exchanging region of the lungs
No alveoli
No gas exchange
What is the respiratory zone?
Where gas exchange happens
Has alveoli
What are terminal bronchioles?
The smallest airway without alveoli
What are respiratory bronchioles?
Have occasional alveoli
What are alveoli?
Tiny, thin-walled capillary rich sac in the lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place
What are type 1 alveolar cells?
Most of the surface of the alveolar walls are lined by a continuous monolayer of flat epithelial cells
Do not divide and are susceptible to inhaled or aspirated toxins
What are type 2 alveolar cells?
7% of alveolar surface
Produce surfactant
Act as progenitor cells
What is a surfactant?
A detergent-like substance made of lipoproteins
Reduces surface tension of the alveolar fluid
What are progenitor cells?
When there is injury to type 1 cells, type 2 cells can multiply and eventually differentiate into type 1 cells
How do O2 and CO2 transfer between alveolar air and blood?
Transfer of O2 and CO2 occurs by diffusion and through the respiratory membrane
What are the steps of respiration?
Ventilation = exchange of air between atmosphere and alveoli by bulk flow
Exchange of O2 and CO2 between alveolar air and blood in lung capillaries by diffusion
Transport of O2 and CO2 through pulmonary and systemic circulation by bulk flow
Exchange of O2 and CO2 between blood in tissue capillaries and cells in tissues by diffusion
Cellular utilization of O2 and production of CO2
How is ventilation produced?
CNS sends rhythmic excitatory drive to respiratory muscles
Respiratory muscles contract rhythmically and in a very organized pattern
Changes in volume and pressures at the level of the chest and lung occur
Air flows in and out
What are the inspiratory pump muscles?
Diaphragm
External intercostals
Parasternal intercostals
What are the expiratory pump muscles?
Internal intercostals
Abdominals
What are the inspiratory airway muscles?
Tongue protruders
Alae nasi
Muscles around airways
What are the expiratory airway muscles?
The muscles are the airways
What are the inspiratory accessory muscles?
Sternocleidomastoid
Scalene
What is the diaphragm?
A dome-shaped muscle which flattens during contraction (inspiration), abdominal contents are forced down and forward and rib case is widened
This increases the volume of the thorax
What are the external intercostal muscles?
Contact and pull ribs upward increasing the lateral volume of the thorax
What are the parasternal intercostal muscles?
Contract and pull sternum forward, increasing anterior posterior dimension of the rib cage
How do the abdominal muscles function in respiration?
Deeper, faster breathing requires active contraction of abdominal and internal intercostal muscles to return the lung to its resting position
How do the internal intercostal muscles function in respiration?
Relaxed at rest
During exercise, internal intercostal muscles pull rib cage down, reducing thoracic volume
What do the scalenes do?
Elevate upper ribs
Contract vigorously during exercise or forced respiration
What do the sternocleidomastoids do?
Raise the sternum
Contract vigorously during exercise or forced respiration
What upper airway muscles contribute to opening the upper airways and reducing resistance?
Tongue protruders
Alae nasi
Pharyngeal and laryngeal dilators (inspiratory)
Pharyngeal and laryngeal constrictors (expiratory)
What is obstructive sleep apnea?
Reduction in upper airway patency during sleep
- reduction in muscle tone
- anatomical defects
What lines the conducting airways?
A superficial layer of epithelial cells which comprise mucus-producing (Goblet) cells and ciliated cells
-function in a coordinated fashion to entrap inhaled biological and inert particulates and remove them from the airways
How do ciliary cells help remove deposited particles in the tracheobronchial tree?
Produce periciliary fluid
-low viscosity optimal for ciliary activity
How do Goblet cells help remove deposited particles in the tracheobronchial tree?
Produce mucus - thick GEL layer distributed in patches
- has high viscosity and high elastic properties
- traps inhaled materials
How do macrophages in the alveoli help with filtering action?
Macrophages are mostly present in the alveoli
Last defense to inhaled particles
-rapidly phagocytize foreign particles and substances as well as cellular debris
What do inhaling silica dust and asbestos lead to?
Pulmonary fibrosis
What is spirometry?
A pulmonary function test to determine the amount and the rate of inspired and expired air
What is a spirometer?
An apparatus used for measuring the volume of air inspired and expired air by the lungs
-it records the amount and the rate of air that you breathe in and out over a period of time
What is atelectasis?
Complete or partial collapse of a lung or a lobe of a lung
Develops when alveoli become deflated/collapse
What is tidal volume?
The volume of air moved IN or OUT of the respiratory tract during each ventilatory cycle
What is the inspiratory reserve volume?
The additional volume of air that can be forcibly inhaled following a normal inspiration
It can be accessed by inspiring to the maximum possible inspiration
What is the expiratory reserve volume?
The additional volume of air that can be forcibly exhaled following a normal expiration
It can be accessed by expiring to the maximum voluntary expiration
What is residual volume?
The volume of air remaining in the lungs after a maximal expiration
It cannot be expired no matter how vigorous or long the effort
What is vital capacity?
The maximal volume of air that can be forcibly exhaled after a maximal inspiration
What is inspiratory capacity?
The maximal volume of air that can be forcibly inhaled
What is the functional residual capacity?
The volume of air remaining in the lungs at the end of a normal expiration
What is total lung capacity?
The volume of air in the lungs at the end of maximal inspiration
What is the average tidal volume?
The average volume of inspired air at each breath in 0.5 L
What is the total/minute ventilation?
The total amount of air moved into the respiratory system is about 7.5 L/min
What is alveolar ventilation?
The amount of air moved into the alveoli per minute
About 5.25 L/min
VA= ( VT - VD )x frequency
Is the depth of breathing or the rate of breathing more effective in increasing alveolar ventilation?
The depth of the breathing is more effective
What is the FEV1 Test?
Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second
A healthy person can normally blow out most of the air from the lungs within one second
What is the FVC Test?
Forced Vital Capacity
The total amount of air that is blown out in one breath after max inspiration as fast as possible
Approx vital capacity
What are the three main patterns of a spirometry test?
Normal
An obstructive pattern
A restrictive pattern
What is the obstructive pattern?
People with obstructive lung disease have shortness of breath due to difficulty in exhaling all the air from their lungs
Because of damage to the lungs, exhaled air comes out more slowly than normal
At the end of a full exhalation, an abnormally high amount of air may still linger in the lungs
FEV1 is significantly reduced
FVC may be normal or reduced
What is the restrictive pattern?
Patients affected by restrictive lung disease cannot fully fill their lungs with air. Their lungs are restricted from fully expanding
Caused by stiffness in the lungs
Reduced vital capacity
FEV1 and FVC reduced
What is the helium dilution method?
Cann measure residual capacity
Helium is insoluble in blood, equilibrates after several breaths
Concentration is measured at the end of an expiratory effort
What are the static properties of the lung?
Mechanical properties when no air is flowing
Necessary to maintain lung and chest wall at a certain volume
-intrapleural pressure, transpulmonary pressure
-static compliance of the lung
-surface tension of the lung
What are the dynamic properties of the lung?
Mechanical properties when the lungs are changing volume and air is flowing in and out Necessary to permit airflow -alveolar pressure -dynamic lung compliance -airway and tissue resistance
What is ventilation?
Exchange of air between the atmosphere and the alveoli
What are the pleurae?
Thin double-layered envelope
What is the visceral pleura?
Covers the external surface of the lung
What is the parietal pleura?
Covers the thoracic wall and the superior face of the diaphragm
What is intrapleural fluid?
Reduces friction of lung against thoracic wall during breathing
Extremely thin
What is the elastic recoil of the lungs and chest wall?
The lungs have a tendency to collapse due to elastic recoil and the chest wall pulls the thoracic cage outward due to elastic recoil
Balances each other out
Where does interaction between the lungs and chest wall occur?
Through the intrapleural space between the visceral and parietal pleurae
What is intrapleural pressure?
Pressure in the pleural cavity
Acts as a relative vacuum
Fluctuates with breathing but it is always subatmospheric
If the intrapleural pressure equals the alveolar pressure then the lungs would collapse
What is alveolar pressure?
The pressure of the air inside the alveoli
When the glottis is open and no air flows into or out of the lungs, the pressures in all parts of the respiratory tree, including the alveoli are equal to atmospheric pressure
What is transpulmonary pressure?
The force responsible for keeping the alveoli open, expressed as the pressure gradient across the alveolar wall
Does not cause airflow but determines lung volume
What are the pressures during inspiration?
The diaphragm and intercostals contract, the thorax expands
Intrapleural pressure becomes more subatmospheric
Transpulmonary pressure increases
Lungs expand
Alveolar pressure becomes subatmospheric
Air flows into alveoli
What are the pressures during expiration?
Diaphragm and inspiratory intercostals stop contracting
Chest wall recoils inward
Intrapleural pressure moves back toward pre-inspiration value
Transpulmonary pressure moves back to pre-inspiration value
Lungs recoil toward pre-inspiration size
Air in the alveoli becomes compressed
Alveolar pressure becomes greater than atmospheric pressure
Air flows out of lungs
What are some airway resistive forces?
Inertia of the respiratory system
Friction of lung tissue going past itself during expansion
Friction of the lung and chest wall tissue surfaces gliding past each other
Frictional resistance to flow of air through the airways