Unit 2: Pulmonary Physiology Flashcards
Anatomical dead space is a reflection of the size of the conducting airways. What are some things that could affect the size of the airwyas?
- Radius: emphazema, smoking, mucus
- Length: height of person
- Minute-to-minute ventilaiton: tube on ventilator
What does a Ventilation/Perfusion scan assess?
- Ventilation
- Perfusion
- Possible diagnoses
- Ventilated (V) but not perfused (Q): pulmonary emboli *picture*
- Q but not V: airway blocking or narrowing
- Neither V nor Q: COPD or pneumonia
What are the two types of sleep apnea?
- Central Sleep Apnea
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea
In pulmonary perfusion, what is zone 2?
- Intermediate zone
- received intermittent blood flow - based on difference between arterial and alveolar pressures
What 3 factors can affect normal airway distribution?
- Airway obstruction
- Abnormal lung or chest wall compliance
- Respiratory muscle weakness
How would an increase in right ventricular stroke volume affect pulmonary artery pressure?
Results in greater pulmonary artery pressure and will cause zone 3 to extend farther up each lung (more gravity dependent = needs more blood)
What is Central Sleep Apnea?
- Failure of respiratory centers
- Can be result of:
- Encephalitis
- Brainstem infarction
- Bulbar poliomyelitis
What are the respiratory control mechanisms during disease like diabetes?
ketoacidosis leads to dec pH → fires off peripheral chemoreceptors → inc ventilation and blowing off excess acid
What is elastic recoil in the lungs?
The ability of the lungs to return to their original shape after stretch.
What breaks up surface tension in the lungs?
Surfactant
What does the Apneustic Center do?
<em>Ex Phys Notes</em>
- Works opposite the pneumotaxic center - prevents inspiratory neurons from switching off.
- Normally inhibited by pneumotaxic center
- NO role in normal respiration
**Absence of inhibition, apneustic center produced prolonged inspirations followed by short expiratory gasping (head injuries)**
What is Flow of Air dependent on?
Flow of air is related to pressure gradient and to the resistance of the airways.
Q (flow of air) = _/_ P/R (change in pressure over resistance)
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is sometimes referred to as __________ Syndrome.
Pickwickian
What is Kussmal’s breathing seen as an attempt to compensate for?
Metabolic acidosis (ex: diabetic ketoacidosis)
How would an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance affect perfusion?
Increase in resistance would decrease perfusion
Does anatomical dead space participate in gas exchange?
No
What are the two distinct respiratory groups (cluster of cells) located in the respiratory center?
<em>Ex Phys Notes</em>
- Dorsal Respiratory Group (DRG) or Nucleus Tractus Solitarius (NTS)
- Ventral Respiratory Group (VRG) or Nucleus Ambiguous
What is Hypoventilation?
What does its breathing pattern look like?
Shallow respirations (often irregular)
What is respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)?
- Occurs in premies before 26-28 weeks
- Born before surfactant is produced and breathing is difficult
What patient populations experience Cheyne-Stokes breathing?
Severe cardiac failure
Head injuy
What is the concern with descreasing tidal volume while increasing respiratory rate?
work of breathing (WOB) decreases tidal volume (TV) - patient cannot get good air down to alveolie because it is all in dead space
What produces surfactant in the lungs?
Type II alveolar cells
What is Eupnea?
How many breaths/min?
What does its breathing pattern look like?
Normal breathing rate and rhythm
12-20 breaths/min
Where is the Apneustic Center located?
<em>Ex Phys Notes</em>
Lower part of the pons
Breathing at low volumes has what affect on air distribution in lungs?
Closes airways in the dependent portions and prevents distribution of air.
Where are the Peripheral Chemoreceptors located?
<em>Ex Phys Notes</em>
The aortic and carotid bodies
What is physiological dead space?
Anatomical dead space + any other areas that don’t exchange gases (aveolar dead space)
What is anatomical dead space?
Portion of tidal volume that is contained in the conducting airways (nose, mouth, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles)
What does the Pneumotaxic Center do?
<em>Ex Phys Notes</em>
- Influences the rate or frequency of breathing
- Inc firing: dec length of inspiration & inc respiratory rate
- Dec firing: inc length of inspiration & dec respiratoy rate
- Normal respiration happens in absence of pneumotaxic input
What is Kussmaul’s breathing?
What does its breathing pattern look like?
Deeper and faster respirations
What is lung compliance?
The ease with which lungs are inflated during inspiration.
Air will go where gravity pulls it. If you are supine, where will air sit in the lungs?
The posterior lung
How much physiological dead space is there compared to anatomical dead space?
- Should be equal
- Accounts for about 30% of tidal volume