The Respiratory System Flashcards
What is tidal volume?
Volume of air breathed in or out per breath
What is inspiratory reserve volume?
Volume of the air that can be forcibly inspired following a normal breath
What is expiratory reserve volume?
Volume of air that can be forcibly expired following a normal breath
What is residual volume?
Volume of air that remains in the lungs after maximum capacity
What is minute ventilation?
Volume of air breathed in or out per minute
What is the pathway of air?
Mouth/nose cavity —> Pharynx —> Trachea —> Larynx (voice box) —> Trachea —> Bronchi —> Bronchioles —> Alveoli
What happens to the diaphragm during inhalation?
The diaphragm tightens, changing from a dome shape to a flatter shape
What happens tot eh lungs during inhalation?
The lungs open up, allowing air to rush in
What happens during inspiration phase?
The diaphragm and external intercostals are use during breathing at rest
The diaphragm, external intercostals, sternocleidomastoid, scalenes and pectoralis minor are used during exercise
What happens during the expiration phase?
The internal intercostals and abdominals are used during exercise
How does tidal volume change during exercise?
Increases
How does inspiratory reserve volume change during exercise?
Decreases
How does expiratory reserve volume change during exercise?
Slight decrease
How does residual volume change during exercise?
Remains the same
How does minute ventilation change during exercise?
Big increase
Why does total volume occur?
Breathing rate and breathing depth both increase in order to supply the working muscles with oxygen
Why does residual volume not change during exercise?
The amount of air left in the lungs after forceful expiration will be the same at rest
What is partial pressure?
The pressure of an individual gas when it exists amongst a mixture of gases
What percentage of oxygen is inspired air rest?
21%
What percentage of carbon dioxide is inspired air at rest?
0.03%
What percentage of nitrogen is inspired air at rest?
79%
What percentage of water vapour is inspired air at rest?
Varied
What percentage of oxygen is expired air at rest?
16.4%
What percentage of carbon dioxide is expired air at rest?
4.0%
What percentage of nitrogen is expired air at rest?
79.6%
What percentage of water vapour is expired air at rest?
Saturated
What percentage of oxygen is expired air during exercise?
14%
What percentage of carbon dioxide is expired air during exercise?
6%
What percentage of nitrogen is expired air during exercise?
79%
What percentage of water vapour is expired air during exercise?
Saturated
What are three features of the alveoli that assist with gaseous exchange?
- Large surface area to volume ratio, increased efficiency
- Surrounded by large capillary network, large concentration gradient maintained
- Moist and allow for gas to dissolve and pass more freely
- Thin walls, decreased distance for diffusion
What is a concentration gradient?
The process of particles moving through a solution or gas from an area with a higher number of particles to an area with a lower number of particles
What is the role of chemoreceptors?
To detect change in CO2/blood acidity/lactic acid in the blood
What is the role of the baroreceptors?
To detect a change in blood pressure
What is the role of the proprioceptors?
To detect a change in muscle movement
Where are the chemoreceptors located?
Walls of the arteries
Where are the baroreceptors located?
Walls of the aorta
Where are the propioceptors located?
Muscles, tendons and joints
Where are inspiratory and expiratory centre found?
Medulla Oblongata
What is responsible for changes in breathing rate?
The imperators and expiratory centre
What is pulmonary ventilation?
Breathing
What are the systems that control pulmonary ventilation?
The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
What does the sympathetic nervous system do?
Prepares the body for exercise, increasing breathing rate
What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?
Lowers breathing rate
What does the inspiratory centre do?
Responsible for inspiration and expiration
What does the expiratory centre do?
Stimulated expiratory muscles during exercise
How does the inspiratory centre send messages to the inspiratory muscles?
Along the phrenic nerve, causes muscles to contract
What does the respiratory centre respond to?
Changes in blood chemistry
Why does blood acidity increase during exercise?
Increase in plasma concentration of carbon dioxide, and increase of lactic acid
Where did the chemoreceptors send messages to?
To the inspiratory centre to increase ventilation until blood acidity has normalised
How does blood acidity return to normal?
The respiratory centre sends impulses down the phrenic nerve to stimulate more inspiratory muscles, sternocleiodmastoid, scalene, pectoralis minor, increases the rate, depth and rhythm of breathing
What factors affect breathing control?
Mechanical factors, Baroreceptors, Stretch receptors
What are the mechanical factors in breathing control?
Proprioceptors are century receptors located in the joints and muscles that provide feedback to the respiratory centre to increase breathing during exercise
What are baroreceptors roles in breathing control?
A decrease in blood pressure detected by baroreceptors in the aorta and carotid arteries results in an increase in breathing rate
What are the stretch receptors in breathing control?
During exercise the lungs are also stretched more. Stretch receptors prevent over inflation of the lungs by sending impulses to the expiratory centre and then down the intercostal nerves to the exploratory muscles (abdominals and internal intercostals) so that expiration occurs
What is the order of neural/chemical control for inspiration?
Receptors —> Medulla —> Phrenic nerve —> Diaphragm and external intercostals
What is the order of neural/chemical control for expiration?
Receptors —> medulla —> Intercostal nerve —> Abdominals and internal intercostals
What are cilia?
Tiny cells located in the bronchi and bronchioles
What is nicotine?
An addictive stimulant found in cigarettes
What is tar?
An addictive stimulant found in cigarette smoke
What is COPD?
A chronic and debilitating disease and is the name for a collection of diseases such as emphysema. The main cause of emphysema is smoking. It is a long term, progressive disease of the lungs that causes shortness of breath
What are the negative affects on the mechanic of breathing from smoking?
- Carbon monoxides binds to haemoglobin
- Damaged alveoli
- Damaged cilia
- Nicotine constricts the bronchioles
- Irritation of the trachea and bronchi
How does smoking affect the respiratory system?
- Irritation to trachea and bronchi
- Reduces lung function
- Increases breathlessness, due to swelling and narrowing of lungs airways
- Damages cells lining the trachea, bronchi and bronchioles
- Excess mucus build up - leads to smokers cough
How does smoking reduce the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood (and increase breathlessness)?
Carbon monoxide from cigarettes binds with haemoglobin in red blood cells much more readily that oxygen
How does smoking increase the risk of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)?
Smoking breaks down and joins alveoli walls , forming abnormally large air spaces, which reduces the efficiency of gas exchange
What are stretch receptors?
A sensory receptor what responds to the over-expanding of the lungs
What is the inspiratory centre?
Located in the medulla oblongata and responsible for breathing (inspiration)
What is the expiratory centre?
Located in the medulla oblongata and responsible for breathing (expiration)
