First Pass Miss Flashcards
What pressures are equal at FRC?
Elastic recoil of the chest wall (intrapleural - atmospheric) = elastic recoil of lungs (alveolar - intrapleural)
remember, recoil = inside - outside
Elastic recoil of lungs = transpulmonary pressure
What is La Place’s relationship and how is related to surfactant?
P =2T/r
If surface tensions were equal in small vs large alveoli, greater filling pressures would be required to inflate the smaller alveoli.
Surfactant helps reduce T more the small your alveoli, keeping filling pressures equal no matter alveolar size.
What is meant by effort dependence vs effort independence?
For the first 25% of the expiratory flow curve, increasing the intrapleural pressure more will increase flow more. However, at a certain point, an increase in intrapleural pressure will not generate a greater expiratory flow. This is called “effort independent” expiratory flow.
What is the rate constant of an alveolus?
The time it takes to empty or fill an alveolus.
RC
R = resistance, C = compliance. Increasing resistance or increasing compliance will increase the filling / emptying time.
Stiffer lungs with lower resistance will empty faster
What is the resistance formula for the lungs?
R = P/V
Where P = pressure difference and V = airflow
Think of this is a rearrangement of V=IR, where current = airflow, and voltage = pressure difference
What is the nitrogen washout curve / what explains closing volume?
Put a patient on one breath of 100% O2, the slowly exhale while expired volume and nitrogen concentration are measured.
Phase 1 - 100% O2 from dead space
Phase 2 - Rapid increase in nitrogen as lung units start emptying
Phase 3 - plateau
Phase 4 - when near RV, the apex of the lungs which carried high N2 air from the anatomical deadspace begin contributing. From where this nitrogen upslope begins to the end of expiration (RV) is called closing volume.
What is the definition of vital capacity in terms of lung volumes?
VC = TLC - RV
TLC = total lung capacity
What is the clinical utility of diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide?
If spirometry shows a restrictive process:
- > Low DLCO suggests parenchymal disease
- > normal DLCO suggests chest wall disease
What does an elevated RV with a low TLC suggest?
Neuromuscular disease
- > cannot fully inspire to TLC
- > Cannot use accessory muscles to fully exhale
What are the causes of increased TLC?
- Obstructive lung diseases
2. Acromegaly - increased size of lung parenchyma
How is the oxygen content of blood calculated?
CaO2 = (1.39 * Hgb * SaO2) + 0.003 * PaO2
Where PaO2 is the arterial oxygen tension, used to calculate dissolved arterial O2 (makes a much smaller contribution than hemoglobin)
Hgb is hemoglobin concentration
How can the partial pressure of O2 gas in an alveolus be predicted?
Alveolar gas equation
PAO2 = PiO2 - PaCO2 / R
PiO2 = inspired O2 partial pressure PaCO2 = arterial partial pressure of CO2 R = respiratory quotient
What is the normal A-a gradient and how does it change as you age?
About 10mmHg
Gradient increases about 2.5 mmHg per decade.
Equation:
PaO2 = 100 mmHg - (age in years/3)
I.e. if PAO2 = 100 mmHg, then 2 decades after age 20 (age 40), PaO2 = 85 mmHg expected.
60 years:
PaO2 = 100 - (60/3) = 80 mmHg
What is the PaO2 which qualifies patients for home oxygen?
55mmHg -> corresponds to 88% on SaO2. Below this level, there is a rapid decrease in SaO2 with decreasing PaO2 (highly sloped portion of the curve)
What is the chloride shift / what causes it?
CO2 enters RBC. HCO3- starts to accumulate due to carbonic anhydrase. Membrane is impermeable to H+, and so it is buffered by hemoglobin to HHb. As HCO3- begins to build in the cell, HCO3- is antiported with Cl-, dropping Cl- in venous blood (chloride shift)
Three carrying forms of CO2 included: carbamino proteins, dissolved CO2, and bicarbonate anion
How do you calculate anion gap and what is the normal range?
AG = [Na+] - ([Cl-] + [HCO3-])
Normal = 10-12 mEq/L
What is anion gap useful for?
Differential diagnosis of metabolic acidosis
- > increased = unmeasured anions in the blood
- > normal = loss of base caused acidosis
- > hypoalbuminemia causes DECREASED anion gap metabolic acidosis
- > causes retention of chloride and bicarbonate
What are the causes of respiratory alkalosis and what is the only chronic one?
Hypoxemia of any cause (will cause hyperventilation)
Anxiety, pain, fever
Airway disorders: asthma and COPD can go both ways, pulmonary edema and pneumonia as well
Salicylates (increases breathing frequency to cause respiratory alkalosis along with metabolic acidosis)
Pregnancy: mild, chronic hyperventilation
What are the causes of metabolic acidosis WITHOUT anion gap?
Base loss:
HCO3- loss from diarrhea
Diuretics: acetazolamide -> causes loss of HCO3-
Pure acid: HCl
Renal tubular acidoses and early renal failure
Give acute causes of respiratory acidosis?
Asthma / COPD - both can go both ways depending on level of obstruction
Drug overdose (opioid)
Stroke
Neuromuscular diseases like Guillain-Barre
Give chronic causes of respiratory acidosis?
Obesity-hypoventilation syndrome (restrictive)
COPD
Kyphoscoliosis
Neuromuscular: ALS, myasthenia gravis
How do you tell pulmonary artery vs bronchial artery vs pulmonary veins?
Pulmonary artery - about the same size as the bronchioles they travel with (adjacent to)
Bronchial artery - also travels adjacent to, but is much smaller than bronchioles and pulmonary arteries
Pulmonary veins - empty alveolar capillaries, run in the interlobular septae and subpleural connective tissue rather than near airways
What populates the mucosa of the trachea and how is it different than a bronchus?
- Tall, pseudostratified columnar epithelium with goblet cells
- Lamina propria connective tissue with blood vessels (to warm the air)
Difference from bronchus - no muscularis mucosae, since the cartilage is so strong
How do bronchi differ from trachea?
- Bronchi has muscularis mucosae in the mucosal layer
- The cartilage is made of plates rather than continuous.
- Epithelium transitions from pseudostratified to simple ciliated columnar