Respiratory System Flashcards
What does the upper respiratory system consist of
Nose, nasal cavity, sinuses, pharynx
What does the Lower respiratory system consist of
Larynx, trachea, bronchus, bronchioles
What is our lung size due to
Body size and oxygen demand for metabolism
Which gender has a higher vital lung capacity
Males with more than 4L and females with Less than 4L
What is the difference between male and female vital lung capacity
1.5L
How many lobes does the right lung have
3
How many lobes does the left lung have
2 lobes
Why does the left lobe have different shapes
Due to the cavity notch having to accommodate the heart
What does the primary bronchi divide into
The secondary and tertiary bronchi
What does the trachea and bronchi have around them
Rings of cartilage
What does the rings of cartilage provide
A rigid structure
What happens to the rings of cartilage as we go further down the bronchi
Turn into plates of cartilage
Why is it important for the rings or cartilage turn into plates of cartilage
Important for lungs to function as it’s more flexible
What is the alveoli covered in
Capillaries
What happens in gas exchange
Oxygen is absorbed for cellular respiration (to form ATP) and co2 is released ( which is metabolism waste)
What does the trachealis muscle do
Controls the airways by opening and closing
What are the lungs used for during foetal life
To produce surfactant
Why do the lungs produce surfactant during foetal life
So are ready to breathe air at birth
What do alveolar epithelial type 2 cells produce
Surfactant
What does surfactant reduce
Reduces surface tension
What do alveolar epithelial type 1 cells for
Gas exchange (O2 and CO2)
When do type 2 cells mature
Late in pregnancy (week 36)
What can premature babies develop if type 2 cells mature late in pregnancy
Respiratory distress syndrome
What are type 1 and 2 cells also referred as
Pneumocyte
What is the function of alveolar macrophage
To engulf bacteria
Inspiration is what kind of process
An active process
What happens to the diaphragm and external intercostal muscles during inspiration
They contract which increases the thoracic cavity
What pressure does air flow into the lungs
Negative
What process is expiration
Passive process
What happens to the diaphragm and external intercostal muscles during expiration
They relax and the thoracic cavity recoils to its resting position
What pressure does air flow out of the lungs
Positive
What type of process is breathing
Cyclic process
What is the purpose of breathing
To maintain high O2 levels and low CO2 levels
What type of muscles are used if exercising or taking a deep breath
Accessory respiration muscles (inhalation)
What does eupnic breathing mean
At rest breathing
What does a high O2 level stimulate
Inspiration
What type of receptors are in the medulla and what does it do
There are chemoreceptors which sense a change in O2 levels so stimulates deeper breathing (increase of O2 levels)
What does the medulla do
Monitors falling Ph levels in cerebrospinal fluid and blood
What happens to breathing rate and depth when CO2 increases
It increases
What does exercise change breathing from and to
From 5L to 100L per minute
What is oxygen therapy
Breathing air enriched with O2
When is oxygen therapy used
It’s used in medical emergencies and in chronic illnesses such as COPD
Why is oxygen therapy used
To reduce respiratory distress
What is breathing controlled by
The autonomic nervous system
What do the pons do
Allow voluntary control and smooths out the transition between breathing in and out
What is rhythm set by
The pre botzinger complex
What are the two types of nuclei in our brain called
Chemoreceptors and pre botzinger complex
What do the nerves in the medulla stimulate
Stimulates breathing (diaphragm and rib cages to inhale and exhale)
What is the thoracic cavity
An enclosed system
Where does each lung sit inside
Pleural cavity
What is the pleural cavity lined with
Pleural membrane
What lubricates lung movement
Intrapleural fluid
What type of muscle is the diaphragm and intercostal muscles
Skeletal muscles
What does the elastic tissue in the lungs and thoracic wall enable
Chest to relax and exhale passively
What type of pressures are involved in respiration
Atmospheric pressure (Patm)
Alveolar pressure (Palv)
Intrapleural pressure (Pip)
Trans pulmonary pressure (tp)
how are the lungs kept expanded (refer to pressure)
the difference between alveolar pressure and intrapleural pressure is negative (-4mmHg) which is called transpulmonary pressure
what is compliance
how elasticated the lungs are
how does thickening of lungs affect compliance
thickening reduces compliance which means more transpulmonary pressure is needed to change the lungs volume
what is Boyle’s law
gases in a closed system
relating to boyle’s law what happens to the pressure if it’s an increased volume
pressure decreases as the gas molecules have more space to move
relating to Boyle’s law what happens to pressure if there’s a decreased volume
the pressure increases as there is less space for the gas molecules to move
how does air flow
down a pressure gradient
what is the equation for flow
flow = P1-P2/R
how can airway resistance be determined
by the diameter of the airway. if the diameter of an airway is increased then there is reduced resistance
describe the pressure and airflow during inspiration
- the thoracic volume increases
-the pressure in the lungs decreases
-air flows through the airway to the lower pressure in the lungs (down a pressure gradient)
describe the pressure and air flow during expiration
-the thoracic volume decreases
-the pressure in the lungs increases
-air flows through the airways to lower pressure which is outside the body (down a pressure gradient)
what is tidal volume
normal breathing which is approx 500ml but can increase with exercise
what is inspiratory reserve volume
deep breath, air that is inspired after normal inspiration. approx 3L
what is expiratory reserve volume
air exhaled after normal expiration which is approx 1.2L
what is residual volume
left over breath in the lungs which is approx 1.2L
what is vital capacity
total amount of air exhaled after maximum inhalation (erv+,irv+ tv) which is approx 3.4L for women and 4.8L for men
what is functional reserve capacity
volume of air in the lungs after normal exhalation which is approx 2.4L (ERV + RV)
what is total lung capacity
volume of air in the lungs after maximum inhalation
what is minute ventilation
volume of air inhaled after 1 minute
what is the calculation of minute ventilation
tidal volume x respiratory rate which is normally 600ml/min
what is alveolar ventilation affected by
breathing rate and depth
what is the anatomical dead space
150ml (volume of the conducting airways)
what is volume alveolar ventilation
4200ml/min
what is the lung test
forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)
what is the variant of the vital capacity in the lung test
it’s maximum inspiration then volume is expired as fast as possible
what does the ratio of the total volume expired to the total volume expired in 1 second show about pulmonary function
if the ration is more than 80% then lungs are healthy, unobstructed and unrestricted but if less than 80% then may have obstructive pulmonary disease
what are examples of breathing disorders in humans
-acidocis/alkalosis which are caused by too much/ not enough breathing
-respiratory distress syndrome and pulmonary fibrosis which causes the total lung capacity to be less than 80%
-obstructive lung diseases (asthma) and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (emphysema) leads to reduced forced vital capacity
name lower airway obstruction diseases
emphysema, cystic fibrosis, asthma, chronic bronchitis
name upper airway obstruction diseases
upper airway tumor, epiglottis, foreign body obstruction
what does breathing provide that is needed for metabolism
O2
what is the metabolic rate
the rate cells use O2 to produce energy which is 20k joules/litre of O2 can increase by 10% when exercising (300Kjoules /hour at rest)
when glucose is oxidised what does it produce
CO2, metabolic H2O and ATP
is metabolism aerobic or anaerobic
aerobic
is metabolism aerobic or anaerobic during exercise and what does it produce
anaerobic and it produces lactic acid (so less ATP is produced)which is changed into pyruvate (by the liver)
what does the circulatory system do during gas exchange
it carries O2 to the tissues and removes CO2 from the tissues
what does the pulmonary system do during gas exchange
takes in O2 from the air and removes CO2 from the body
what does the systemic circulation do during gas exchange
carries O2 to the tissues and removes CO2 from the tissues
what type of pressure do the gases diffuse down
a partial pressure gradient
What is the partial pressure of o2
159mmHg
What is the partial pressure of CO2
0.3
Alveolar Partial pressure of o2
130mmHg
Alveolar partial pressure of co2
27mmHg
Why is blood flow to the lungs when standing greatest at the base compared to top
Due to gravity and low pulmonary blood pressure
Why is haemoglobin efficient in gas exchange
They carry co2 so the can be removed and o2 binds to it so it can be transported
