Respiratory System Flashcards
(189 cards)
What is pulmonary ventilation?
- it is the exchange of air between atmosphere and lungs which is the result of pressure gradients caused by changes in the thoracic cavity volume?
What are the 3 processes involved in exchange of air? Where do they occur?
1) pulmonary ventilation = which include inspiration and expiration
- happens between atmosphere and lungs
2) external respiration = happens between lungs and blood
3) internal respiration = happens between blood and cell
How is Boyle’s Law related to pulmonary ventilation?
- Boyle’s Law states that gas volume is inversely proportionate to pressure
- when volume is increased during inspiration, pressure decreases,
- when volume is decreased during expiration, pressure increases
For the same number of molecules of air, what happens to the amount of gas?
- remains constant
When volume increases as we inhale, what happens to gas pressure?
- decreases
When volume decreases during expiration, what happens to pressure
- increases
What are the types of pressure involved in pulmonary ventilation?
1) atmospheric pressure
2) intrapulmonary pressure
3) intrapleural pressure
What is atmospheric pressure (Patm)?
- the normal pressure which is 760 mmHg (sea level)
What is the intrapulmonary pressure (Palv)
- air pressure inside the lungs
In between breaths, what type of pressure is present?
- atmospheric pressure
What is intrapleural pressure?
- the fluid pressure in the pleural cavity
The intrapleural pressure is at what mmHg?
about 4 mmHg less than atmospheric pressure (Patm) = 756 mmHG (at rest)
Which pressure is greater, intrapleural pressure or intrapulmonary pressure?
- intrapulmonary pressure
Why is intrapleural pressure negative?
because of the lungs tendency to recoil in while the thoracic wall wants to recoil out
What does pulmonary ventilation consist of?
- quiet inspiration
- forced inspiration
- quiet expiration
- forced expiration
At the start of quiet inspiration, where is the atmospheric pressure and intrapulmonary pressure at?
- they are equal since there is not movement of air. Therefore it is 760 mmHg
as soon as air movement happens, what happens in a quiet inspiration?
- the diaphragm and external intercostal muscles contract, which increases the thoracic volume cavity
- this causes the lung to resist because it wants to recoil in, which causes the intrapleural pressure to decrease from 756 mmHg to 754mmHg
- The higher pressure difference between the intrapleural pressure and intrapulmonary pressure causes the lungs to expand this decreasing the intrapulmonary pressure from 760 mmHg to 758 mmHg
- air moves down the pressure gradient until equal pressure between the atmospheric pressure and intrapulmonary pressure is established
During quiet inspiration, what happens to thoracic cavity volume? Why
increases due to the contraction of the diaphragm and external intercostal muscles
During quiet inspiration, what happens with the intrapulmonary pressure?
- at the start its equal to Patm which is 760 mmHg because theres no air movement
- but as soon as air movement occurs, it decreases to 758 mmHg due to lung expansion caused by the high pressure gradient between the Palv and Pip
During quiet inspiration, what happens with the intrapleural pressure?
- it decreases since the lung is resisting the expansion of the thoracic cavity caused by the contraction of the diaphragm and external intercostal pressure
What happens during forced inspiration?
- greater increase in thoracic cavity volume which increases the pressure gradient significantly so more air moves in
What muscles are involved in quiet inspiration?
- diaphragm and external intercostal muscles
What muscles are involved in forced inspiration?
- diaphragm, external intercostal muscles and sternocleidomastoid which work together to pull rib cage up
Are forced and quiet inspirations active processes? Why or why not?
Yes because muscle contractions are involved