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Y2 S1 Physiology > Respiratory System > Flashcards

Respiratory System Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the Primary Function of the Respiratory System?

A
  • Gas exchange between external and internal environment
  • O2 in and CO2 out
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2
Q

What is the role of the Lungs?

A
  • Regulate CO2 levels and expels CO2 from the body
  • Also removes acid that forms from glucose metabolism
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3
Q

What are the 3 concepts regarding Movement of Lungs and Thoracic Cage?

A
  1. Boyle’s Law: P1V1 = P2V2
  2. Air always flows from high to low pressure
  3. Pleural Space = small space between two membranes
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4
Q

Describe the Layers of Pleura?

A
  • Inner: Visceral Pleura
  • Middle: Pleural Fluid
  • Outer: Parietal Pleura
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5
Q

What is the role of Pleural Fluid?

A

Prevent friction

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6
Q

What is a Pneumothorax?

A

Air in the pleural cavity

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7
Q

What is a Hemothorax?

A

Blood in the pleural cavity

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8
Q

What is Increased and Decreased Compliance?

A

Increased Compliance:
- Limp/Overstretched
- Hard to push the air out
- Eg -> Emphysema, COPD

Decreased Compliance:
- Stiff Lungs
- Difficult to inflate
- Eg -> Pulmonary Fibrosis

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9
Q

What is Lung Compliance?

A

The expandability of the lungs and chest wall (ease at which lungs expand)

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10
Q

Why don’t alveoli collapse even though they are lined with H2O?

A

Body has surfactants that interrupt surface tension so the lungs don’t collapse

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11
Q

What is Inspiration and Expiration?

A

Inspiration: Chest moves out and upwards while volume of thorax increases
Expiration: Chest moves down and inwards as volume of thorax decreases

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12
Q

Describe the Pressures in the Thoracic Cavity

A
  • Intrapleural Pressure is always negative at -756mmHg (sucks lungs to the walls of the chest)
  • Intrapulmonary Pressure is positive pressure at 760mmHg (pushing lungs out)
  • Transpulmonary Pressure = 760 - 756 = 4mmHg
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13
Q

What is the relationship between pressure and volume?

A

Decreased volume leads to increased pressure and vice versa.

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14
Q

Describe the behaviour of the Lung during Ventilation and what is ventilation?

A

Ventilation = flow of air into the alveoli
- Air moves from high to low pressure

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15
Q

Steps of Inspiration

A
  1. Inspiratory Muscles contract
  2. Thoracic Cavity vol decreases
  3. Lungs stretch and intrapulmonary vol increases
  4. Intrapulmonary pressure drops
  5. Air flows into lungs down the pressure gradient
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16
Q

Steps of Expiration

A
  1. Inspiratory muscles contract
  2. Thoracic cavity volume decreases
  3. Elastic lungs recoil and intrapulmonary vol decreases
  4. Intrapulmonary pressure increases
  5. Air flows out of lungs down pressure gradient
17
Q

What are the Factors Affecting Pulmonary Ventilation?

A
  1. Radius of Airways (affect rate which air can enter/exit lungs
  2. Compliance of Chest Wall (affects vol of air inhaled/exhaled)
  3. Surface Tension of Alveoli (determines ease at which alveoli remains open for gas exchange)
18
Q

What does Surfactant do?

A

Serves to decrease surface tension, increase
compliance

19
Q

Describe the Airways

A
20
Q

What is Spirometry used for and how does it work?

A

Use: Measure lung volumes to diagnose respiratory illness
Action: As the patient breathes the
spirometer records the volume
and flow rate changes -> patient asked to take a maximum breath in then a maximum breath out

21
Q

What is Vital Capacity (VC)?

A

Volume of a maximum breath -> it reflects the compliance of the chest wall

22
Q

Spirometry DIagram

A
23
Q

Describe FVC and FEV1

A

FVC = Forced vital capacity
FEV1 = amount of air expired in the first second
FEV1/FVC should be >75%

24
Q

What are features of Obstructive Lung Disease?

A

= conditions that make it hard to exhale all the air in the lungs
- Typically lower FEV1 and normal FVC -> affects FEV1/FVC ratio

25
Q

What are features of Restrictive Lung Disease?

A

= patients have difficulty fully expanding their lungs with air
- Typically lower FEV1 and FVC but normal FEV1/FVC ratio

Y2 S1 Physiology (13 decks)

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