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BDS1 Respiratory System > Respiratory Mechanics > Flashcards

Respiratory Mechanics Flashcards

(57 cards)

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1
Q

What are the 2 meanings of respiration?

A
  • Tissue respiration

- Breathing

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2
Q

What is tissue respiration?

A

The aerobic metabolism in cells

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3
Q

What is meant by the word breathing?

A

Gas exchange and the associated processes

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4
Q

What is meant by the term ‘respiratory mechanics’?

A
  • Study of mechanical properties of the lung and chest wall

- Process by which air enters and leaves the lungs

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5
Q

What is the job of the lungs in relation to gas exchange?

A
  • To bring in fresh air rich in the oxygen needed to fuel the body
    AND
  • To expel the waste gas produced from cells in the body

*The movement of air in and out of the lungs, must therefore, be coupled to cellular respiration (as metabolic demands of the body increased - need to increase rate of breathing)

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6
Q

Why is respiratory mechanics important in relation to the state of the lung?

A
  • Need to understand how the lung works normally and in a diseased state
  • Almost all lung diseases affect the mechanical properties of the lung
  • Death from lung disease is usually due to inability to overcome changes in the lung or chest mechanics
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7
Q

What is meant by ‘breathing maintains blood gas homeostasis’?

A

Breathing maintains normal levels of oxygen and CO2 do maintains the pH of the blood

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8
Q

At rest what is the partial pressure of CO2 and O2?

A 
PO2 = 100+/- 2mmHg 
PCO2 = 40+/- 2mmHg
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9
Q

At rest what are the rates of exchange of O2 and CO2?

A
  • Around 250ml of O2/min
  • Around 200ml of CO2/min

*breathing is highly stable and highly regulated

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10
Q

When walking (at 3mph) what are the rates of exchange of O2 and CO2?

A
  • Around 800ml of O2/min
  • Around 750ml of CO2/min

*Breathing regulation is continuous

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11
Q

When enduring severe exercise what are the rates of exchange of O2 and CO2?

A
  • Around 5000ml of O2/min
  • Around 6000ml of CO2/min

*Body has a huge reserve that can increase from rest to severe exercise

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12
Q

What is the primary function of the nasal cavities and paranasal sinuses?

A
  • Filter, warm and humidify air; detect smells
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13
Q

What are the primary functions of the pharynx?

A
  • Conducts air to the larynx; a chamber shared with the digestive tract
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14
Q

What are the primary functions of the larynx?

A
  • Protects the opening of the trachea and contains vocal cords
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15
Q

What are the primary functions of the trachea?

A
  • Filters air, traps particles in mucous; cartilages keep airways open
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16
Q

What are the primary functions of bronchi?

A
  • Filters air, traps particles in mucous; cartilages keep airway open
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17
Q

What are the primary functions of the lungs?

A

Responsible for air movement through volume changes during movements of ribs and diaphragm; includes airways and alveoli

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18
Q

What are the primary functions of the alveoli?

A
  • Act as sites of gas exchange between air and blood
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19
Q

What are the major functions of the upper airways?

A
  • The upper airways conduct air to lungs
  • Major functions:
  • Humidify (saturate with water)
  • Warm (to body temp)
  • Filter (that are larger than 10 microns in size)
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20
Q

What type of epithelium are the upper airways to bronchioles lined by?

A
  • Pseudo-stratified, ciliated, columnar epithelium
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21
Q

What is meant by the term ‘ventilation’?

A

Movement of air into the lungs

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22
Q

What is the ventilation of the lungs at rest?

A
  • Around 6 litres/min

- Around 12 breaths of 500ml

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23
Q

What is the maximum ventilation of the lungs?

Study These Flashcards
A
  • 160 litres/min

- Around 40 breaths of 4L

24
Q

What is the cardiac output at rest?

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A
  • 5L/min

- 70 bpm, 70ml/beat

25
What is the maximum cardiac output?
- 25L/min | - 200bpm, 125ml/beat
26
What are the processes of inspiration and expiration in quiet breathing?
- Inspiration: ACTIVE * Diaphragm contracts downwards pushing abdominal contents outwards * External intercostals pull ribs outwards and upwards - Expiration: PASSIVE * Elastic recoil so diaphragm relaxes and chest volume decreases
27
What are the processes of inspiration and expiration during strenuous breathing?
- Inspiration: ACTIVE * Greater contraction of diaphragm (1cm in quiet breathing and up to 10cm during strenuous breathing) and external intercostals * Inspiratory accessory muscles active e.g. sternocleidomastoid, alae nasi, genioglossus - Expiration: ACTIVE * Contraction of abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus, internal oblique, external oblique and transverse abdominus) * Internal intercostal muscles oppose external intercostals by pushing ribs down and inwards
28
What does the alae nasi muscle do?
Causes nostrils to flare
29
What does the genioglossus muscle do?
Moves tongue away from back of mouth
30
What is the major inspiratory muscle?
The diaphragm, a dome-shaped skeletal muscle
31
What are the muscles of inspiration?
- Sternocleidomastoid - Scalenus - Parasternal intercartilagenous muscles - External intercostals - Diaphragm
32
What are the muscles of expiration?
- Internal intercostals - Abdominal muscles - Rectus abdominus - External oblique - Internal oblique - Transversus abdominis
33
How are pressure and volume related?
Pressure and volume are inversely related
34
In terms of pressure where does air move?
From regions of high pressure to low pressure
35
Does the barometric/atmospheric pressure change when breathing?
No, so important that the lungs change their pressure
36
What does the pleural cavity always have in respect to interpulmonary pressure unless there has been a trauma?
A negative pressure
37
What is Ppl?
Pleural pressure
38
What is Pel?
Elastic recoil pressure
39
What is Pa?
Alveolar pressure
40
What is Pl?
Trans-pulmonary pressure - The difference between alveolar pressure and plural pressure - Need positive pressure for lung to expand
41
At the beginning of inspiration what does Pa equal and why?
Pa=0 because there is no flow
42
What is the Ppl when muscles contract?
Negative
43
What happens to the pressure changes when muscles contract?
- Ppl is negative - Pa is less than 0 - glottis opens and air moves into the lungs (from higher to lower pressure)
44
When does the flow of air into the lungs stop in terms of changes in pressure?
When atmospheric pressure and alveolar pressure are equal. the glottis closes
45
Why is low level breathing in healthy lungs very efficient?
- There is small muscle effort | - 1ml of O2 for each litre of air breathed, 2% of resting energy expenditure
46
Why is higher intensity breathing less efficient?
- Gas flow is more turbulent (moves more rapidly). It uses more muscles - The accessory muscles can fatigue easily to limit exercise - Respiratory muscle fatigue is a factor in development of respiratory failure
47
What is functional residual capacity?
The volume of air in the lung at the end of expiration during quiet breathing - At FRC the forces of elastic recoil and outward recoil are opposite and equal and muscles are relaxed
48
What does elastic recoil of the lung act to decrease?
Lung volume
49
What does outward recoil of the chest wall act to increase?
Lung volume
50
When chest wall muscles are weak, what happens to functional residual capacity?
It decreases - lung elastic recoil is greater so further collapsing of the lungs and more air is exhaled
51
What is the total capacity of lungs for air in healthy men and women?
Men - 6L | Women 4.2L
52
What is functional residual capacity?
The air left in the lungs after breathing out
53
What is vital capacity?
The volume when a person breaths in to the max then breaths out to the max
54
What is used to measure lung volume?
Vitalograph/spirogram | - They display volume of gas exhaled against time
55
In a healthy individual what should the FEV1/FVC ratio be?
>70% - In other words 70% of lung volume should be expired in a second (take a big inspiration then exhale as fast as possible)
56
In patients with obstructive lung disease e.g. emphysema, asthma what should the FEV1/FVC ratio be?
<70% - less than 70% of lung volume expired in 1 second
57
In patients with restrictive lung disease e.g. fibrosis, neuromuscular disease what should the FEV1/FVC ratio be?
Greater than a healthy individual

BDS1 Respiratory System (8 decks)

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