Respiratory Physiology Flashcards
what does your respiratory system do ?
- oxygen into the blood
- removes carbon dioxide from blood
- regulates blood pH
- speech
- microbial defense
- chemical messenger concentrations
- traps and dissolves small blood clots
what’s going in/out in the respiratory system ?
CO2 in and O2 out
what is present in your thoracic cavity ?
trachea, left and right lung, rib cage & muscles and diaphragm
what are the two zones of the lungs ?
conducting and respiratory
what is the main job of the conducting zone ?
conduct and move air
what is the main job of the respiratory zone ?
O2 and CO2 move in and out of the blood
where does gas exchange occur in the lungs ?
in the alveoli
what parts are within the conducting zone ?
trachea, primary bronchi and smaller bronchi
what are mucus and cilia used for in the conducting zone ?
microbial defence
what is found in the alveoli to perform gas exchange ?
capillaries
what is phagocytosis ?
The process by which a phagocyte (a type of white blood cell) surrounds and destroys foreign substances (such as bacteria) and removes dead cells
what is surfactant ?
chemicals that decease surface tension
what is tidal volume ?
volume of one breath
what is respiratory rate ?
number of breaths per minute
what is pulmonary ventilation ?
tidal volume x respiratory rate
is pulmonary ventilation and alveolar ventilation the same thing ?
no
what does Boyle’s law state ?
“pressure is inversely proportional to volume”
what is atmospheric pressure (in mmHg) ?
760mmHg
what is intrapulmonary pressure (in mmHg)
760mmHg
when you increase thoracic cavity what happens do the pressure ?
decreases
what are the muscles of inhalation ?
external intercostals and the diaphragm
where are external intercostal muscles ?
muscles found in between ribs
what is the diaphragm ?
dome-shaped skeletal muscle
where does the diaphragm move when a contraction occurs ?
moves down
what does the diaphragm do when you breathe in ?
contracts and moves down
what does the diaphragm do when you breathe out ?
relaxes and moves back up
during active exhalation what happens to the abdominal muscles ?
contracts obliques and contracts rectus abdominis
what is the pressure in the intrapleural space (in mmHg) ?
757 mmHg
what happens in the case of the pneumothorax ?
air is somewhere it shouldnt be
what does intrapleural pressure do ?
prevents lungs from collapsing
within what population is pneumothorax common in ?
tall young slim men
what is lung compliance ?
considered as the “stretchability” of the lung
what factors affect compliance ?
elastic tissue and surface tension
do we want more or less elastin in lungs ?
a normal balance (not too much or too little)
what is elastin ?
is a protein that creates elastic tissue
what is neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (nRDS)
poor lung function, alveolar collapse, hypozemia (low blood oxygen)
where does pulmonary surfactant line itself ?
overtop of that liquid (humidified hair)
what does pulmonary surfactant do ?
reduces surface tension so prevents alveolar collapse and microbial defense
in what population does nRDS mostly occur in ?
premature infants
what is the treatment for nRDS ?
administer surfactant
what is the name of a tool that measures how much air we breathe in ?
spirometer
what is tidal volume ?
our normal breaths
what is the term that defines the “biggest breath you could possibly take”
inspiratory reserve volume
what is expiratory reserve volume ?
blow out as much air as you can
what is residual volume ?
how much air remains in you lungs after complete exhalation
can you measure residual volume ?
no you cannot
what is total lung capacity ?
when you add all four volumes together (max amount of air you lungs will hold)
FEV1 / FVC = ?
80%
what is obstructive lung disease ?
exhalation problem (hard to move air out)
what are two examples of obstructive lung disease ?
asthma and emphysema
what is asthma ?
the airways can become inflamed and narrowed at times. This makes it harder for air to flow out of your airways when you breathe
what is emphysema ?
alveolar wall destruction
in what obstructive lung disease are airways hyperresponsive ?
asthma
what is a major cause of emphysema ?
smooking
what happens in the case of emphysema ?
- destruction of alveolar walls
- loss of elastin
- reduces elastic recoil
what does restrictive lung disease mean ?
hard to take air in
what is an example of a restrictive lung disease ?
pulmonary fibrosis
what are some causes for pulmonary fibrosis ?
- chronic inhalation of asbestos
- coal dust
- pollution
how much % of atmospheric air is made up of oxygen ?
21%
how much % of atmospheric air is made up of carbon dioxide ?
0.03%
what is the formula for rate of diffusion ?
gradient x SA / thickness
how do O2 & CO2 move ?
through simple diffusion
in regards to gas exchange is a large surface area considered good or bad ?
good (lots of area to cross the membrane)
what is the organization of CV system ?
- right ventricle
- pulmonary artery
- pulmonary arterioles
- pulmonary capillaries
- pulmonary venules
- pulmonary veins
- left atrium
what is our blood composition ?
- 55% plasma
- less than 1% white blood cells
- 45% red blood cells
what exists within plasma ?
water, proteins, ions, gases, vitamins, etc.
what are the two ways blood is transported ?
- dissolved in plasma
- bound to hemoglobin
what are three ways in which carbon dioxide is transported ?
- dissolved in plasma
- attached to blood proteins
- bicarbonate ion
what two things combine to form carbonic acid ?
CO2 and H2O
what can affect Hb (hemoglobin) saturation ?
- exercise
- increased temperature
- increase pCO2
- decreased pH (acids)
what are the two locations of chemoreceptors ?
- peripheral chemoreceptors
- central chemoreceptors
where are peripheral chemoreceptors found ?
in aortic arch, carotid body
where are central chemoreceptors found ?
in medulla
what is respiratory acidosis ?
ph < 7.4 due to changes in pulmonary gas exchange
what are four diseases of respiratory acidosis ?
- emphysema
- nRDS
- pulmonary fibrosis
- opioid use
what is respiratory alkalosis ?
pH > 7.4 due to changes in pulmonary gas exchange (hyperventilation)
why does hyperventilation cause you to pass out ?
- hyperventilating increases CO2 removal from blood
- decrease PCO2 in the blood
- vasoconstriction of blood vessels
- decrease blood flow (in then brain)
what FOUR acid-base balance tools are used to maintain homeostasis ?
- respiratory acidosis
- respiratory alkalosis
- metabolic acidosis
- metabolic alkalosis
what is metabolic acidosis ?
pH < 7.4 due to changes in pH unrelated to CO2
what is metabolic alkalosis ?
pH > 7.4 due to changes in pH unrelated to CO2
what is anemia ?
not enough red blood cells
where are red blood cells produced ?
bone marrow
what causes anemia ?
low production of erythrocytes
- bone marrow issues
- improper nutrition
- kidney failure
what are erythrocytes ?
red blood cells
what does anemia cause an increase in ?
bleeding and hemolytic disease
what is erythropoietin ?
- peptide hormone
- acts on bone arrow
- released from kidney
- stimulus low PO2
what is a consequence of high red blood cells ?
thicker blood (more resistance)
