12.4 Gas Exchange

Question 1

What is another name for pulmonary capillaries?

Answer 1

alveolar capillaries

Question 2

What does a small increase in left atrial pressure do to pulmonary circulation? Why?

Answer 2

no effect; pulmonary veins are able to dilate to accommodate excess blood

Question 3

What does a large increase in left atrial pressure do to pulmonary circulation? Why?

Answer 3

Pulmonary edema; increase in pressure in the pulmonary capillaries will force blood into the surrounding tissues

Question 4

What is pulmonary edema?

Answer 4

fluid in the lungs resulting from an increase in blood pressure

Question 5

What are the two main gases found in air?

Answer 5

oxygen
nitrogen

Question 6

What is partial pressure?

Answer 6

contribution of each individual gas to the total pressure

Question 7

What is Henrys Law?

Answer 7

amount of gas that will dissolve into liquid is dependent on the partial pressure of the gas as well as the solubility of that gas in liquid

Question 8

How does an increase in partial pressure of a gas effect its ability to dissolve in a liquid?

Answer 8

increase in partial pressure increases the amount of gas that can dissolve in a liquid

Question 9

What is the driving force for the exchange of gases in the lungs?

Answer 9

difference in partial pressure between the alveolar air and the blood

Question 10

What is the respiratory membrane?

Answer 10

three barriers to gas exchange; alveolar epithelium, interstitial fluid, and capillary epithelium