Respiratory Physiology Flashcards
How is oxygen transported throughout the body?
Less than 2% dissolved in plasma
Over 98% is bound to hemoglobin in red blood cells
How is Carbon Dioxide transported through the body?
10% dissolved in plasma
20% bound to hemoglobin in RBC
70% converted to bicarbonate ions in RBC- also results in H+ (protons)
External respiration occurs where?
across the respiratory membrane= alveolus + capillary
The respiratory membrane separates what?
air and blood
What is Daltons Law
Each gas contributes a partial pressure to the total overall pressure of atmosphere
What is Henry’s Law?
Gases dissolve in liquids based on their partial pressures and solubility
How do we know how readily gases dissolve into a liquid?
1) solubility in liquid, 2) partial pressure (higher PP to lower PP- always follow their own pressure gradient)
If the partial pressure of oxygen is 40 mmHg in the interstitial fluid of muscle tissue of your leg and 95 mmHg in the blood of the arterial end of the capillary bed associated with that muscle, which way will oxygen diffuse?
Into the muscle cells
why don’t RBC live long?
they dont have a nuclei or mitochondria - LOTS of hemoglobin
what filters dying blood cells for removal?
the spleen
what is hemopoiesis?
the production of elements in red bone marrow
where is red bone marrow primarily found?
in spongy bone
what differentiates to produce “formed elements”?
blood stem cells
When RBC count drops, tissues become _____-_______. Specialized cells in the ____ and ____- sense the decrease in oxygen and release the hormone ____________ to stimulate RBC production.
oxygen-deficient
liver and kidney
erythropoietin (EPO)
When RBC count drops, specialized cells in the liver and kidneys sense the decrease in oxygen and release erythropoietin. This is an example of __________.
negative feedback
You are hiking in the Rockies and experience shortness in breath and dizziness due to hypoxia. This occurs because at higher elevation, there is less of a pressure gradient to promote oxygen diffusion across the respiratory membrane.
How would you predict your body will respond to maintain homeostasis?
Increase erythropoietin production (upping production of RBC)
Oxygen is transported directly by red blood cells via what protein?
hemoglobin
how does hemoglobin work?
Hemoglobin has four subunits- each subunit binds to one molecule of O2 to the iron with each heme group. Hemoglobin drops off oxygen where it is needed.
Equation where carbon dioxide is converted to carbonic acid in red blood cells
CO2+H2O ⇔ Carbonic Acid ⇔ Bicarbonate + H+
what happens if you increase the concentration of reactants? increase concentration of products?
will drive the reaction to right
will drive reaction to the left
why will carbon dioxide levels always balance with bicarbonate and vice verse?
because carbonic acid is unstable
which numbers are more acidic/more basic?
lower= more acidic
higher= more basic
Acidic substances have a ____ amount of H+ ions dissociated than basic substances.
higher
If carbon dioxide levels rise too high, the production of protons will _______________ and this will cause pH to _________________.
increase
lower
