SF3 Exam 2 Respiratory Mechanics Flashcards
Pleural space is filled with? It exerts what type of force?
Pleural fluid. Negative pressure making the lung stick to the chest wall.
Visceral Pleura innervation vs parietal pleura
Visceral insensitive to pain, react to stretch
Parietal pleura somatic afferent and intercostal nerves. Perceives pain
Which generations have no gas exchange?
What is this commonly called?
0-16
Dead space
What range of generations start to have alveoli?
Which ones are most heavily involved in gas exchange?
17-23
20-23
RV Residual Volume
Amount of air that you cannot get out of the lung
Cm H20 is used to refer to?
What is this at room air?
mmHg is used to refer to?
Hydrostatic pressure
0 cm H20
Gas partial pressures
Which bronchus is situated higher?
Right higher than left
Apnea?
Absence of spontaneous ventilation
Eupnea
Normal spontaneous breathing
Orthopnea
Dyspnea which occurs when lying flat, causing person to sleep propped up
How do the lungs stay inflated in your thorax?
They are placed in an area where the intraplueral space is negative, so air tends to inflate them since they have a 0 atmospheric pressure.
Elastic recoil of the chest is?
Elastic recoil of the lung?
Chest- Outwards
Lung- Inwards
Functional Residual Capacity (FRC)
Point where recoil forces (Inner recoil of lung matches outer recoil of chest wall)
What is the main contributor to lung recoil?
Surface tension
How does Surface tension play a role in the lungs?
When on the surface, there are unbalanced forces that pull molecules downward away from the side exposed to air.
Alveoli can be thought of as a circle of air surrounded by water. Explain the surface tension net effect on this
The molecules have angled effects on one another, with an overall vector of inwards towards the air. This is why the lung wants to collapse.
Explain how Laplace’s law would predict 2 alveoli to interact?
The first has r and the second is 2r Laplaces law p=2T/r
What occurs in an actual lung? Describe the relationship.
Revisit the original alveoli with this info.
1st- 2T/r
2nd- 2T/2r=T/r
- SO 1>2
1 would empty into 2, causing a shunt through the lung
Surfactant exists in the lung. It lowers surface tension.
Surfactant is inversely proportional to Surface tension.
Area 1= 4pi(r)^2
Area 2= 4pi(2r)^2
2 is 4 times bigger than 1 (Each has the SAME surfactant) so
1=y/4pi(r)^2
2=y/16pi(r)^2
Surfactant is 4X in Unit 1. Is spread over less area. Since surfactant and Surface tension are inverse, The Surface tension of Unit 2 is 4 times greater.
ACTUAL lung happening.
1=2T/r
2=2(4T)/(2r)= 4T//r
- 2>1
Who are the main players in inhalation?
Diaphragm.
External intercostal muscles lift the rib cage
What are the accessory muscles of inhalation?
When are they used?
Shoulder/neck muscles
Recruited in exercise, COPD and emphysema
What stance is commonly seen in COPD patients?
Why do they do this?
Tripod stance. Sits or stands leaning forward, supporting the upper body with hands on the knees.
This takes advantage of the accessory muscles.
What type of process is normal exhalation?
It is normally passive. The diaphragm is just relaxing back to normal.
When is the Ptm equal to the elastic recoil of the lung in inhalation? What happens throughout inhalation?
Right at the beginning and then again at the end. In the middle, transmural pressure becomes larger than recoil, so the lung expands.
What does Boyle’s law tell us about alveoli
Law is that volume is inverse to pressure, so as they fill with air, the pressure decreases in the pleural space.
Tension pneumothorax
More and more air accumulates with each breath
Non-tension pneumothorax
Air present in cavity, but not accumulating with each breath.
Atelectasis vs Pneumothorax
Atelectasis has NO air entering pleural space. The entire mediastinum shifts to the side of the collapse.
Pneumothorax the mediastinum shifts away from the collapse.