The Respiratory System Flashcards
What are the functions of the lungs?
Gaseous exchange Surfactant production Reservoir for blood Filter Part of the immune system pH balance
What is the structure of children’s lungs like?
Lungs want to collapse and don’t have force to expand
Much more likely to suffer from respiratory problems
Structure of older lungs
Lose collagen, less elastic, more likely to collapse in
Why is it good to breath through your nose?
Warms, moistens, filters the air through nitric oxide
Makes you breath through lamina flow- straight and directed, enables you to fill lungs effectively
What is the structure of the pleura like?
2 membranes Negative pressure in between them 2 layers Help maintain the lungs being open Pneumothorax- if the air gets in the pleural space. Treated with a chest drain
What is Boyles law?
When you increase the volume the pressure decreases, diaphragm moves up and out
When you increase the pressure the volume decreases
Inspiration- active
Expiration- passive
What is the residual volume
Amount of air that can never leave the lungs
Keep lungs open
What is compliance?
Ability of the lungs and pleural cavity to expand and contract based on changes in pressure
What is lung compliance?
The volume change per unit of pressure change across the lung
It is an important indicator of lung heath and function
How do you work out compliance?
Change in volume / change in pressure
What is emphysema?
Need a lot of pressure to get a change in volume due to being hyper inflated
Opening pressure of the alveoli
High pressures are needed for opening collapsed alveoli
At a critical opening pressure, a maintained inspiratory effect will inflate most of the lung tissue
Closing pressures of alveoli
On deflation, alveoli tend to remain open and empty at lower pressures
What conditions would you get reduced compliance at?
Fibrosis: lungs become encased in fibrous tissue
Obesity: difficult for diaphragm to extend
Pleural effusion: fluid in the pleural space compresses the lungs so can’t maintain RV
Atelectasis: small airways collapse
Pneumothorax: pleura distracted and lung collapses
Flow resisted properties of the airways
How the alveoli fill
Interdependence
Alveoli surrounding the collapsed alveoli have a knock on effect to expand deflated alveoli
