Respiratory System Flashcards
What are the functions of the nose?
inhalation smell hydration of air going in warms air resonance of voice
What are the functions of the paranasal sinuses?
resonance
same as nasal cavity
lighten the skull
What are the three divisions of the pharynx?
nasopharynx
oropharyn
laryngopharynx
What are the functions of the larynx?
provide an open airway for breathing
act as a switching mechanism for air and food
voice production
act as a sphincter
What is the larynx made of?
hyaline cartilage
What in the larynx closes to prevent exhalation?
glottis
What is Valsalva’s maneuver?
forcibly exhaling while keeping the mouth and nose closed
How is loudness changed?
Changed by pushing more or less air through
How is pitch changed?
tightening the muscles to create tension and create different vibrations
What decreases due to the branching of the lungs?
pressure
How much mucus does the serous and mucous glands secrete per day?
1 liter
What do the epithelial cells fo respiratory mucosa secrete?
defensin
What is defensin?
antibiotic
What is the role of cilia?
acts as a filtering agent
What is the purpose of bronchopulmonary segments?
separates different areas of the lung
In what area of the lungs does gas exchange occur?
alveolar sacs
As conducting tubes become smaller, what happens to support structures?
they decrease
As conducting tubes become smaller, what happens to epithelium type?
it decreases
As conducting tubes become smaller, what happens to the amount of smooth muscle?
it increases
What three things are affected by the decrease in size of conducting tubes?
support structures
epithelium type
amount of smooth muscle
What is the respiratory membrane/wall of alveoli made up of?
alveolar wall
capillary wall
fused basement membrane
How thick is the alveolar wall?
one cell thick
What opens up each alveoli to the next one?
alveolar pores
What do alveolar pores do?
diffuse pressure
What are found in or on the alveoli?
alveolar pores
macrophages
type II cells
elastic fibers
What do macrophages in the alveoli do?
attack pathogens
take debris away
What do type II cells in the alveoli do?
produce surfactant, which decreases the surface tension of water
What do elastic fibers in the alveoli do?
causes recoil within the lungs
Which circuits provide blood supply to the lungs?
both pulmonary and systemic
Lungs are iinflated why?
because they are held open by the lining of the lungs
Visceral vs. Parietal
visceral = touching organ parietal = not touching organ
What does the lining of the lungs do?
reduces friction
creates suction cup to hold lungs to chest cavity wall
How is the suction cup created in the lungs?
pressure outside the lungs is greater than the pressure inside the lungs
What are the layers of the pleurae and pleural cavity?
parietal pleura
visceral pleura
pleural cavity filled with pleural fluid
What is atmospheric pressure?
pressure outside
What is intrapulmonary pressure?
pressure within the pleural cavity
What causes inhalation?
External intercostals contract, which spreads the ribs and increases space from the sides and front to back
Diaphragm contracts and increases space up and down
This creates a negative intrapulmonary pressure compared to atmospheric, so air moves down its concentration gradient and into the lungs
What causes exhalation?
Elastic recoil of lung tissue
No contraction of lung muscles
Increased intrapulmonary pressure compared to atmospheric pressure
Air moves down its concentration gradient and out of the lungs
What kind of process is exhalation and why?
Passive process because the muscles in the lungs are not contracting
What operates gas exchange?
concentration gradients
How does the solubility of CO2 affect the concentration gradient?
CO2 is more soluble in water
strong concentration gradient is not needed to make it move
How does the solubility of oxygen affect the concentration gradient?
oxygen is not as soluble in water
it requires more pressure to push it in whatever direction
What does oxygen bind to?
hemoglobin
What are the two modes of oxygen transport in the blood?
dissolved in blood plasma
bound to hemoglobin
What percentage of oxygen is dissolved in blood plasma?
1.5%
At rest, how much oxygen do we retain?
75%
What is the saturation of arterial blood hemoglobin under resting/normal conditions?
98%
After gas exchange with tissues, what is the saturation of hemoglobin?
75%
What affects the binding affinity of hemoglobin?
temperature
pH
CO2 pressure
What is the affect of increased temperature on the affinity and release of oxygen?
creates less afinity between oxygen and hemoglobin
increases release of oxygen
What is the affect of decreased temperature on the affinity and release of oxygen?
more affinity between oxygen and hemoglobin
decreased release of oxygen
How does an increase in CO2 affect oxygen affinity?
increase in CO2 decreases O2 affinity to hemoglobin
What is the Bohr effect?
CO2 increases the dissociation of oxygen from hemoglobin where needed
What is the technical term for inadequate O2 delivery?
hypoxia
What are the causes of hypoxia?
decreased hemoglobin content decreased number of RBCs blocked blood vessel pulmonary disorder decreased ability of tissues to use O2
What causes the release of carbon monoxide?
CO released during fires and fuel combustion
car exhaust
What are the symptoms of CO poisoning?
disorientation
sick to stomach
What causes CO poisoning?
CO has 100x more affinity to hemoglobin than oxygen does
CO will out-compete oxygen
Decreases ability to carry oxygen to the body
suffocation
How is carbon dioxide transported in the blood?
dissolved in plasma
bound to hemoglobin on protein (not heme)
bicarbonate ions
Explain the formation of carbaminohemoglobin?
CO2 binds to globin (protein component) and not the heme group
What is the Haldane effect?
reduced hemoglobin (unloaded oxygen) has a greater ability to form carbaminohemoglobin
How does O2 leaving the heme group affect CO2?
CO2 binds more readily
How does a bicarbonate ion form?
CO2 + H2O becomes carbonic acid
Carbonic acid then breaks apart to become bicarbonate
How does an increase in CO2 affect the amount of bicarbonate ions?
amount of bicarbonate ions increases
How does a decrease in CO2 affect the amount of bicarbonate ions?
decreases amount of bicarbonate ions
Describe the slow formation of bicarbonate ions
CO2 dissolves in plasma
then converts to HCO3
Describe the fast formation of bicarbonate ions
CO2 diffuses into RBC and converts to HCO3
with help of carbonic anhydrase
What does carbonic anhydrase do?
reversibly forms carbonic acid
Explain the carbonic acid-bicarbonate buffer system
pH goes down= more hydrogen ions = increases bicarbonate = increases formation of acid = increases CO2 = increases acidity/decreases pH
How do shallow breaths affect blood pH?
increases CO2
increases H2CO3 (carbonic acid)
decreases pH
How does deep breathing affect blood pH?
flushes CO2 from blood
decreases carbonic acid
increases pH
All-in-all, the mechanism generating rhythmic breathing patterns is what?
generally unknown
Where do autonomic responses come from?
brain stem
What are the two types of chemical control detectors?
peripheral chemoreceptors
central chemoreceptors
Where are peripheral chemoreceptors located?
aortic arch
carotid artery
Where are central chemoreceptors located?
brain stem (medulla)
What is hypercapnea?
elevated levels of CO2
What is hypocapnea and what could possibly cause it?
decreased levels of CO2
shallow breaths/hyperventilation
