Respiratory physiology Flashcards
What are the average volumes of gas exchanged per minute?
Oxygen - 2050ml
Carbon dioxide - 200ml
What is the standard resp rate at rest, and maximum when exercising?
10-20 at rest
40-45 during exercise
What constitutes the URT?
Nasal cavity
Oral cavity
Pharynx
Larynx
What constitutes the LRT?
Trachea
Bronhi
Lungs
How is the patency of airways maintained?
C-shaped rings of cartilage in trachea/bronchi
In bronchioles maintained by physical forces
What is the function of type 1 alveolar cells?
Gas exchange
What is the function of type 2 alveolar cells?
Produce surfactant
What is anatomical dead space?
Space in upper airways too thick to allow for gas exchange
How is the respiratory tract lined?
With Pseudo-stratified ciliated columnar epithelium
Mucous membranes
How does the lining change as you go down the respiratory tract?
Epithelium becomes more squamous
Mucous cells lost first
Cilia then lost
What are the funtions of mucus?
Moistens air
Traps particles
Provides large surface area for cilia to act on
What is boyles law?
Increase in volume means decrease in pressure and vice versa
Gasses always move from high to low pressure
What muscles does inspiration use?
External intercostals
Diaphragm
Accessory:
SCM
Scalenes
What muscles are used in expiration?
Passive at rest, but in load
Internal intercostal
Abdominal muscles
What is intra-thoracic pressure?
Pressur einside thoracic cavity
Negative or positive compared to atmosphere
What is intrapleural pressure?
Pressure inside pleural cavity
Always negative
What is transpulmonary pressure?
Difference between alveolar pressure (intrathoracic) and intrapleural pressure Always positive (as Pip is always negative)
What is tidal volume?
Volume of breath breathed in/out of lungs in each breath
TV
What is expiratory reserve volume? ERV
Maximum volume of air which can be expelled from the lungs at the end of a normal expiration.
What is Inspiratory reserve volume? IRV
Maximum volume of air which can be drawn into the lungs at the end of a normal inspiration.
What is residual volume?
The volume of gas in the lungs at the end of a maximal expiration.
What is vital capacity?
Tidal volume + inspiratory reserve volume + expiratory reserve volume
What is total lung capacity?
Vital capacity + residual volume
What is inspiratory capacity?
Tidal volume + inspiratory reserve volume
What is Functional residual capacity?
expiratory reserve volume + residual volume.
What is FEV1?
Forced expiration in 1 second
What is FEV1:FVC?
Fraction of Forced Vital Capacity expired in 1 second.
What is pulmonary ventilation?
total air movement into/out of lungs
What is alveolar ventilation?
fresh air getting to alveoli and therefore available for gas exchange
What is partial pressure?
Pressure of a gas in a mixture of gases is equivilent to percentage of that gas multiplied by pressure of all gas in mixture
What is the purpose of surfactant?
Increases lung compliance
Reduces surfaces tension of alveolar surface membrane
Reduces lungs tendancy to recoil
In effect makes breathing easier
More effective on smaller alveoli
When is surfactant produced in gestation?
Begins at 25 weeks
Complete by 36 weeks
What is lung compliance?
Change in volume relative to change in pressure
I.e stretchability of lung
What is emphysema?
Loss of elastic tissue resulting in greater effort of expiration
What is fibrosis?
Inert fibrous tissue that increases the effort of inspiration
Is the volume change greater at the apex of base of the lung?
At the base