Chapter 1: Structure and Function Flashcards

1
Q

**

List 4 functions of the lungs

A
  • gas exchange
  • metabolizes compounds
  • filters material
  • blood reservoir
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2
Q

Describe Fick’s Law of diffusion

A

Fick’s law describes that the amount of gas movement through a barrier is proportional to its surface area and gas concentration gradient, and inversly proportional to it’s thickness

D –> Diffusion constant

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3
Q

List the conducting airways from the trachea downwards

A

trachea - main bronchi - lobar bronchi - segmental bronchi - terminal bronchioles

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4
Q

How does cartilage/smooth muscle proportion change further down the conducting airways?

A

as airways progress distally –> less cartilage and more smooth muscles

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5
Q

What are the parts of the acinus?

A
  • respiratory bronchioles (some alveoli budding from their walls, some gas exchange)
  • alveolar ducts (fully lined with alveoli)
  • alveoli/alveolar sacs
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6
Q

How does the velocity of gas flow change throughout the airways?

A

Proximal - more velocity (smaller radius)
Distal - low velocity (large combined cross-sectional area)

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7
Q

Why does dust usually not reach the acinus?

A

The velocity of air flow drops so much that the dust will settle at the terminal bronchioles

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8
Q

Name the structures

A

C: capillary/plasma
Ec: RBC
IN: interstitium
EP: epithelium
EN: endothelium
BM: basement membrane
FB: fibroblast
Arrow: gas diffusion pathway

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9
Q

What do you call the connection between the alveoli?

A

Pores of Kohn

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10
Q

What is part of the bronchovascular bundle? How does it run?

A
  • arteries and bronchi travel together down the center of the lobules
  • initially veins run together with bronchi and arteries, but towards the periphery they move away to pass between the lobules
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11
Q

How wide are the pulmonary capillaries?

A

7-10 micrometer (just large enough for RBCs to pass through)

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12
Q

How thick is the blood gas interface?

A

0.2-0.3 micrometer

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13
Q

How much time do RBCs spend in the pulmonary capillary network?

A

0.75 seconds (probably pass through 2 or 3 alveoli on the way)

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14
Q

What are the two ways of blood supply for the lungs?

A
  • pulmonary circulation
  • bronchial circulation
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15
Q

What part of the lungs does the bronchial circulation supply blood to?

A

conducting airways - down to the terminal bronchioles

small proportion perfused by bronchial circulation - lung can actually function well without it (e.g., lung transplantation)

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16
Q

Explain how the conducting airways protect from inhaled particles

A
  • large particles filtered out in the nose
  • smaller particles depositing in the conducting airways –> taken up by mocous (produced by mucous glands higher up and goblet cells in the bronchial walls) –> transported up via the cilia staircase to the epiglottis –> swallowed
17
Q

Explain how the acinus section of the lungs protects itself from inhaled foreign particles

A

alveoli have no cilia
particles are enguled by macrophages –> particles removed via the lymphatics or blood flow

particles removed by blood flow will be trapped by tiny blood vessels and released into the venous circulation to prevent the from reaching the left/systemic circulation

18
Q

What type of compound is surfactant and which cells produce it?

A
  • a phospholipoprotein
  • Type II pneumocytes
19
Q

What part of the lungs are supplied by the bronchial arteries?

A

bronchial arteries supply the lungs down to about the terminal bronchioles