respiratory system Flashcards
what is the function of the respiratory system
to supply the body with oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide
what is the passage of air flow from the nose and mouth to the alveoli
- enters through nose and mouth
- flows into pharynx
- larynx routes air into trachea
- trachea carriers air to bronchi
- bronchi transport air to bronchioles
- bronchioles transport air to alveoli
what is the function of the nose/nasal cavity in the passage of air
it warms/moistens incoming air, traps and filters foreign particles, helps with sense of smell, and voice resonation
what is the function of the pharynx in the passage of air
is a passage way for food and air
what is the function of the larynx and its main structures in the passage of air
it separates air from food and liquids and contains the thyroid and corticoid cartilage that serves as a protection layer, the epiglottis that serves as a door to prevent food from going in the airway, and the vocal cord that are responsible for speech
what is the function of the trachea
it transports air to the 2 primary bronchi
what is the function of the bronchioles
they serve as a branching passageway (23 diff ways) for air to reach the alveoli
what is the function of the alveoli
-they exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide through alveolar and capillary walls
-the area must be moist, thin, and have adequate surface area for gas exchange to occur
-oxygen comes in carbon dioxide leaves
what is the conducting zone and what organs are present there
it warms, humidifies, and conducts air via bulk flow
the nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea, all bronchi, and bronchioles are in this area
what is the respiratory zone and what organs are present there
it is responsible for gas exchange via diffusion
the respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts and sacs are in this area
what is the composition of the trachea
it is made of 3 different layers
1. mucosa: ciliated pseudo stratified epithelium
2. submucosa: areolar connective tissue and hyaline cartilage rings
3. adventitia: elastic connective tissue
what is the composition of the bronchi
they are made of cartilage rings
what is the composition of the bronchioles
they are made of cartilage rings but as you get deeper through the lungs the cartilage will start to vanish and more smooth muscle will appear
what is the composition of the alveoli
it is made of type 1 and 2 epithelium cells supported by basement membrane
what cells are in the alveoli and what are their functions
type 1 epithelium: is used for lining makes up the entire membrane
type 2 epithelium: is used for secretion of surfactant to keep the area moist for gas exchange
how does the mucociliary escalator work
goblet cells produce mucous that trap particles that cilia will sweep up to be swallowed and destroyed
what is the effect of smoking on the trachea and lungs, what happens to the tissue of these organs
there is increased irritation of the trachea essentially paralyzing the cilia leading to bad coughs, the lungs will not be able to expand as much and will become darker in color, leading to poor lung function and breathing
what is the structure of the respiratory membrane and the cells in each of the 4 layers
the membrane is made up of four layers with cells in found in the layers
1st layer: alveolar epithelium
2nd layer: epithelial basement membrane
3rd layer: capillary basement membrane
4th layer: capillary endothelium
type 1/2 alveolar cells, macrophages, and red blood cells can be found
what is intrapulmonary pressure
air pressure in lungs
what is intrapleural pressure
air pressure in the pleural cavity
what is transpulmonary pressure
air pressure that keeps lung spaces open and prevents them from collapsing
what pressures are increased/decreased during inspiration (inhaling)
because of the increased size of the thoracic cavity, intrapulmonary and intrapleural will be decreased
what goes on with the body during inspiration and what muscles are used
the diaphragm contracts (moves down) lowering the pressure allowing the lungs to open up more and air will go in
the muscles used are external intercostal muscle
what pressures are increased/decreased during expiration (exhaling)
because of the decreased size of the thoracic cavity, intrapulmonary and intrapleural pressure will be increased
what goes on in the body during expiration and what muscles are used
the diaphragm relaxes (moves up) increasing the pressure closing the lungs up more and allowing air to be pushed out
the muscles used are internal intercostal muscle
what does boyles law say about ventillation
the more space there is the less pressure there will be and vice versa
what 3 factors influence ventilation
surface tension of alveolar fluid, compliance of lungs, and airway resistance
how does surface tension of alveolar fluid work
-surface tension is created by the thin film of fluid lining the inside of the alveoli
-surface tension creates an inward collpasation that must be overcome for the lungs to expand during inspiration
-surfactant can help over come this by equaling the pressure of each alveoli with diff surface tension, allowing them to reach equal inflation size at a similar pace
how does the compliance of lungs work
lungs can have either high or low compliance that can be affected by different conditions such as smoking or pneumonia
high compliance: lungs expand easily
low compliance: lungs are harder to expand
how does airway resistance work
-resistance can occur as air moves through the respiratory tract
-This is usually noticed in the bronchioles as they have the greatest resistance
-dilation (inspiration) of the bronchioles decreases resistance and constriction (expiration) increases resistance
what is the importance of lung volumes (what do they tell us)
they tell us how the lungs are functioning and their capacities, this can be measured through a spirometer
what is tidal volume (TV) and its number
amount of air inhaled/exhaled under resting conditions (500ml)
what is inspratory reserve volume (IRV) and its number
amount of air inhaled forcefully after normal tidal volume (3100ml males, 1900ml females)
what is expiratory reserve volume (ERV) and its number
amount of air forcefully exhaled after normal tidal volume (1200ml males, 700ml females)
what is total lung capacity (TLC) and its number
max air in lungs after max effort of inspiration (6000, 4200ml)
what is vital capacity (VC) and its number
max air that can be expired after max inspiration occurs (4800, 3100ml)
what is inspiratory capacity (IC) and its number
max air that can be inspired after normal tidal volume expiration (3600,2400ml)
what is functional residual capacity (FRC) and its number
air remaining in lungs after normal tidal volume expiration (2400,1800ml)
what does henrys law say about gas exchange
the law says that when there is an increase in the partial pressure and solubility of gas, there will be an increase of gas in a liquid solution
what does daltons law say about gas exchange
the law says that each gas in a mixture exerts its own pressure, also known as partial pressure, and these gases will diffuse down their partial pressure gradients
-the total pressure of a gas mix= the sum of all the partial pressures of each gas
how does pulmonary (external) gas exchange work
oxygen from the alveolar air will go to the blood and carbon dioxide from the blood will go to the alveolar air (deoxygenated to oxygenated blood)
how does systemic (internal) gas exchange work
oxygen from the blood will go to tissue cells and carbon dioxide from the tissue cells will go to the blood (oxygenated to deoxygenated blood)
why is ventilation and perfusion matched and what do their partial pressure control
-partial pressure of carbon dioxide controls ventilation by changing bronchiole diameter
-partial pressure of oxygen controls perfusion by changing arteriole diameter
-these must be matched for optimal gas exchange as they control the gas and blood that reach the alveoli
how do imbalances in respiratory surfaces have an impact on gas exchange
when the respiratory membrane has increased thickness, gasses do not diffuse in/out of the blood fast enough leading to oxygen deprivation in the tissues and acidosis
how does carbon dioxide effect saturation levels of hemoglobin
the more partial pressure of carbon dioxide the more oxygen will be unloaded and hemoglobin saturation will go down
how does pH effect the saturation levels of hemoglobin
the higher the pH is in the blood the higher the hemoglobin saturation will be
how does temperature effect the saturation levels of hemoglobin
the higher the temperature the more oxygen will be unloaded decreasing hemoglobin saturation
what does the Bhor effect say regarding hemoglobin saturation
the lower the pH the lower the hemoglobin saturation will be allowing more oxygen transport
what does the Haldane effect say regarding hemoglobin saturation
low partial pressure of oxygen = low hemoglobin saturation, resulting in more carbon dioxide carried by hemoglobin
what structures create the respiratory rate in the body and what are their functions
rate is regulated by medulla and pontine centers
medulla: VRG will generate the overall rate and DRG will modify the rate based on sensory inputs
pontine: ensures smooth contraction of resp. muscles
how do high/low levels of carbon dioxide influence breathing rate and depth
breathing rate is controlled by how often resp. centers are stimulated
breathing depth is controlled by how much resp. centers stimulated the muscles
-if there is too high levels of CO2 the resp. centers will be stimulated to increase breathing rate and depth to remove CO2 and bring it back to normal levels
what are the steps of carbon dioxide/oxygen transport at the lungs
- carbon dioxide diffuses into alveolar air and is unloaded from hemoglobin, bicarbonate will diffuse into RBC in exchange for chlorine that will move out of the RBC into plasma
- bicarbonate and hydrogen ions will combine into carbon dioxide and water and diffuse into alveolar air, the oxygen will now bind to hemoglobin
what are the steps of carbon dioxide/oxygen transport at the tissues
- oxygen will be unloaded by hemoglobin and carbon dioxide will diffuse into the plasma where it will dissolve
- carbon dioxide will bind to a hemoglobin creating a carbamino hemoglobin
- carbon dioxide will interact with water and carbonic a in the RBC to form carbonic acid that will then turn into bicarbonate and hydrogen
- bicarbonate diffuses out of RBC in exchange for chlorine to move into RBC from the plasma
