Respiratory System

Question 1

Name the three areas of the pleural sac.

Answer 1

Visceral serosa (inner membrane)
Parietal serosa (outer membrane)
Pleural cavity (lubricating fluid inbetween - also contains air and blood)

Question 2

What can you do to a patient with a build up of fluid in the pleural cavity?

Answer 2

Drained in with a large needle in the 7th intercostal space so as not to penetrate the diaphragm.

Question 3

What lies between each rib?

Answer 3

Intercostal space containing muscle, artery, vein and nerves.

Question 4

What is a pancoast tumour?

Answer 4

Along tumour that can press down on the brachial plexus of the phrenic nerve. Causes wasting of the small muscles in the hand and pain in the forearm.

Question 5

What is Horner’s syndrome and what are some symptoms?

Answer 5

Result of a lung tumour or other causation putting pressure on the sympathetic trunk.
Miosis (constricted pupil)
Ptosis (droopy eyelid)
Anhidrosis (localised, decreased sweating)

Question 6

What are two reasons a patient could have a hoarse voice?

Answer 6

Lung cancer on the left recurrent laryngeal nerve

An aneurism of the aorta

Question 7

What are the extra-pulmonary components of the respiratory system and what epithelium line them?

Answer 7

Nasal cavity
Pharynx
Larynx
Tranches
Bronchi
Bronchioles
Terminal Bronchioles
Pseudo-stratified cells

Question 8

What are the intra-pulmonary components of the respiratory system and what epithelial cells do they contain?

Answer 8

Respiratory bronchioles
Alveoli ducts (simple cuboidal)
Alveoli (simple squamous)

Question 9

What are the olfactory regions and what do they contain?

Answer 9

‘Smelling regions’ - nasal cavity, nostrils

Contain pseudo stratified epithelium, olfactory cells, olfactory nerves and bowman’s glands.

Question 10

Apart from creating a voice, what are two functions of the vocal chords?

Answer 10

Stop foreign objects reaching the lungs

Close to build pressure when coughing is required

Question 11

What is the trachea lined with? (Multiple)

Answer 11

Hyaline cartilage
Elastin
Seromucous glands 
Cilia
Immune cells

Question 12

What happens to the trachea with age?

Answer 12

Transforms from cartilage into bone

Question 13

How does cartilage differ in primary and secondary bronchi?

Answer 13

Primary - a clean ring

Secondary - ‘islands’ of cartilage

Question 14

What is asthma?

Answer 14

A chronic inflammatory disease

Excessive bronchoconstriction

Question 15

What are Clara cells?

Answer 15

Cells that take over goblet cells at the small bronchioles.

Secrete lipoprotein to help with lubrication for expiration and secrete Clara cell protein.

Question 16

What is Clara cell protein a marker for?

Answer 16

Reduction - lung damage

Increase - blood leakage

Question 17

Name some characteristics of the alveolar walls?

Answer 17

Highly vascularised
Contain elastin (for stretch and recoil) and reticular fibres
Covered in pneumocytes (alveolar cells) for gas exchange across air-blood barrier
Numerous macrophages

Question 18

What are the two types of alveolar cells and what do they do?

Answer 18

Type 1 alveolar cells - squamous cells for gas exchange - 90%
Type 2 alveolar cells - cuboidal cells to produce surfactant - 10%

Question 19

What is Emphysema/COPD and how does it affect the lungs?

Answer 19

Damage of the alveolar walls due to long term smoking/a 1-antitrypsin deficiency
Alveolar would normally open up for expiration, however bronchioles collapse making it hard for lungs to empty, and air is trapped in the alveoli.
Causes goblet cell hyperplasia, hypertrophy of mucus glands and less ciliated cells - MORE MUCUS LESS CILIA

Question 20

What is pneumonia?

Answer 20

Inflammation of the lungs caused by bacteria