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Respiratory
Physiology
• Decreased alveolar surface tension, increased compliance, and decreased work of inspiration
• Increases bronchoconstriction
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Lung volumes
• What is the term for the volume of air that can still be breathed out after normal expiration?
• What is the term for the volume of air in the lungs after maximal expiration?
• Residual volume
• The inspiratory reserve volume plus the tidal volume equals what?
• Inspiratory capacity
• Which lung volume cannot be measured on spirometry: inspiratory reserve volume, tidal
volume, expiratory reserve volume, or residual volume?
• Residual volume
• What is the term for the maximum volume of air that can be inhaled and exhaled?
• Vital capacity
• The residual volume plus the expiratory reserve volume equals what?
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• 500 mL
• What is the term for the volume of air that moves into the lungs with each quiet inspiration?
• Tidal volume
• What is the term for the volume of air in excess of tidal volume that moves into the
lung on maximum inspiration?
• The inspiratory reserve volume plus the tidal volume plus the expiratory reserve volume plus
the residual volume equals what?
• What is the term for the lung volume that includes all capacity except the residual volume?
• Vital capacity
• What is the formula for calculating dead space volume given an arterial blood gas and a
measurement of exhaled carbon dioxide?
• Dead space volume = tidal volume × [(partial arterial pressure of carbon dioxide - partial
expiratory pressure of carbon dioxide) / partial arterial pressure of carbon dioxide]
• Physiological dead space includes the anatomical dead space of the _____
(conducting/respiratory) airways plus the functional dead space in _____
(alveoli/bronchioles).
• Conducting; alveoli
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• Which section of the healthy lung contributes more to functional dead space: the apex or the
base?
• The apex
• What balances the inward elastic pull of the lung at the point of functional residual capacity
(i.e. at the end of a normal expiration)?
• At the point of functional residual capacity (i.e., at the end of a normal expiration), what is the
value of the air pressure within the lungs?
• At functional residual capacity, the pressure within the lungs is equal to atmospheric pressure
• Describe the natural tendency of movement of the lung and chest wall.
• The lungs tend to collapse inward and chest wall springs outward
Hemoglobin
• Does fetal hemoglobin have a higher or lower affinity for oxygen compared with
adult hemoglobin?
• Higher; as a result, fetal blood can draw oxygen across the placenta
• Does hemoglobin have positive or negative cooperativity with respect to oxygen binding and
affinity?
• Positive; the more oxygen molecules bind, the more affinity hemoglobin has for additional
oxygen molecules
• With respect to cooperativity and affinity for oxygen, what are the differences between
hemoglobin and myoglobin?
• Myoglobin has high affinity for oxygen but does not display cooperativity of oxygen binding
because it has only a single subunit
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• Does fetal hemoglobin have a higher or lower affinity for 2,3-biphosphoglycerate compared
with adult hemoglobin and what is the result?
• An increase in which five factors will favor the taut form of hemoglobin over the relaxed form
and decrease affinity for oxygen?
• Four
• The relaxed form (remember: "When you're Relaxed, you do your job better [carry oxygen]")
• Which form of hemoglobin has a low affinity for oxygen, relaxed or taut?
• Taut
• Which form of hemoglobin has a high affinity for oxygen, relaxed or taut?
• Relaxed
• Fetal hemoglobin is composed of two ____ subunits and two ____ subunits.
• α; γ
• Adult hemoglobin is formed from two _____ subunits and two _____ subunits.
• α; β
Hemoglobin modifications
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• Does methemoglobin contain iron in the oxidized state or the reduced state; Fe2+ or Fe3+; ferric
iron or ferrous iron?
• Methemoglobin
• Does hemoglobin contain iron in the oxidized state or in the reduced state; Fe2+ or Fe3+; ferric
iron or ferrous iron?
• What are the mechanisms of action of nitrites and thiosulfate in the treatment of cyanide
poisoning?
• Nitrites oxidize the iron in hemoglobin to form methemoglobin; methemoglobin then binds to
cyanide ions, which in turn allows cytochrome oxidase to function; after administering
nitrites, thiosulfate is used to bind to the cyanide-methemoglobin complexes, to form
thiocyanate, which is renally excreted
• In treating cyanide poisoning, ______ is the compound used to bind cyanide, forming _____
which is a renally excretable compound.
• Thiosulfate; thiocyanate
• What is the name of a form of hemoglobin in which carbon monoxide is bound instead of
oxygen?
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• Carboxyhemoglobin
• Hemoglobin
• Ferrous; ferric
• When another molecule, such as CO, binds to hemoglobin in place of oxygen, what are the
systemic effects?
• This leads to tissue hypoxia from decreased oxygen saturation and decreased oxygen content
in the blood
• Right
• An increase in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide causes a _____ (left/right) shift in the
oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve.
• Right
• When the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve shifts to the left, what happens to the
affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen?
• A right shift
• Right
• Hemoglobin can bind four oxygen molecules and has a higher affinity for each subsequent
oxygen molecule bound. What is the term for this phenomenon?
• Positive cooperativity
• When the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve shifts to the right, what happens to the P50?
• A right shift increases the P50, indicating that higher oxygen pressure is required to saturate
hemoglobin
• An increase in the amounts of which six factors causes a right shift of the oxygen-hemoglobin
dissociation curve?
• CO2, hydrogen ions (therefore acidity), altitude, 2,3-DPG, metabolic needs (eg, exercise), and
temperature (remember: CADET face right: CO2, Acid/Altitude, DPG [2,3-DPG], Exercise,
Temperature)
• Left
• Sigmoidal
• A shift of the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve to the right facilitates what process in
tissue?
• In the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve, what values are represented by the x and y
axes?
• The partial pressure of oxygen represents the x axis, while hemoglobin saturation represents
the y-axis
• Left
• The oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve for fetal hemoglobin is shifted in what direction?
• Left; fetal hemoglobin has higher affinity for oxygen than adult hemoglobin
• Left
• When the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve shifts to the right, what happens to the
affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen?
• Right
• When the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve shifts to the right, what happens to the
affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen?
• When the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve shifts to the left, what happens to the P50?
• A left shift decreases the P50; hemoglobin is saturated at lower pressures of oxygen
• A decrease in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide causes a _____ (left/right) shift in the
oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve.
• Left
Pulmonary circulation
• It shifts blood away from the poorly ventilated regions of the lung to the well-
ventilated regions of the lung
• Diffusion-limited gas
• In the equation for gas diffusion, which variable is affected by emphysema and how?
• Under perfusion-limited conditions, where along the length of the pulmonary capillary
do the partial pressures of a gas equilibrate?
• Early; gas exchange is not limited by its ability to cross the membrane, only by the
supply of blood
• Perfusion-limited gas
• What are three signs of right ventricular heart failure due to cor pulmonale?
• Within the lungs, a decrease in the partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood causes
what process to occur within the vasculature in the area?
• Low; high
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• Perfusion-limited gas
• Perfusion-limited gas
• Under diffusion-limited conditions, where along the length of the pulmonary capillary
does the gas equilibrate?
• It does not equilibrate; the characteristics of the gas cause it to diffuse slowly across
the alveolar membrane
• Vgas = A/T × Dk(P1 - P2), where A = area, T = thickness, and Dk(P1 - P2) = difference in
partial pressures
• In the equation for gas diffusion, which variable is affected by pulmonary fibrosis and
how?
• Diffusion-limited gas
Pulmonary hypertension
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• Sleep apnea and living at high altitudes cause hypoxia, which in turn causes
pulmonary vasoconstriction
• 10-14 mm Hg
• By causing increased shear stress (due to increased blood volume in the pulmonary
vasculature) and thus endothelial injury
• What is the prognosis for a patient diagnosed with primary pulmonary hypertension?
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• Severe respiratory distress, causing right ventricular hypertrophy and cyanosis . This
results in decompensated cor pulmonale which leads to death
• By increasing resistance to blood flow in the left heart; thus causing a build-up of
pressure starting in the left atrium and backing up to the pulmonary vasculature
• Pulmonary vascular resistance = (pressure in the pulmonary artery minus pressure in the left
atrium) divided by the cardiac output
• What is the equation for resistance, given vessel length, diameter, and blood viscosity?
• R = (8ηl) / (πr4), where η = viscosity of blood, l = vessel length, and r = vessel radius
• Pulmonary vascular resistance is _____ (directly/inversely) related to vessel length and _____
(directly/inversely) related to vessel radius.
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• Directly; inversely
• A decrease in hemoglobin will have what effect on partial oxygen pressure: decrease,
increase, or no change?
• No change
• When the hemoglobin level rises, the oxygen content of the blood _____ (rises/falls).
5 g/dL
• 1.34 mL
• Why does arterial partial pressure of oxygen decrease with chronic lung disease?
• When the hemoglobin level falls, the percent oxygen saturation of the blood ______
(rises/falls/remains stable).
• Remains stable; the blood can still be 100% saturated but there will be less oxygen-binding
capacity and therefore lower total oxygen content
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• Will a patient with anemia become cyanotic at a higher or lower oxygen saturation than a
normal patient?
• An anemic patient will have a lower oxygen saturation by the time she appears cyanotic; the
blue coloration of cyanosis is proportional to the concentration of deoxyhemoglobin, which is
lower in anemic patients (as are the concentrations of all types of hemoglobin)
• Approximately 15 g/dL
• How can the alveolar gas equation be simplified and approximated (assuming that the patient
is breathing ambient air)?
• Alveolar partial pressure of oxygen = 150 - (arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide / 0.8)
• Alveolar partial pressure of oxygen (in mm Hg) = the partial pressure of oxygen in inspired air
minus (alveolar partial carbon dioxide pressure divided by the respiratory quotient); or, PAO2
= PIO2 - (PACO2/R)
• By using the alveolar gas equation, what important measure of pulmonary function can be
determined?
• 10-15 mmHg
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Oxygen deprivation
• Hypoxemia refers to decreased arterial partial pressure of oxygen and can lead to hypoxia,
which is defined as decreased oxygen delivery to tissue
• Name two processes that can lead to ischemia (i.e. loss of blood flow).
• Name five processes that can lead to hypoxemia (ie, decreased arterial oxygen).
• Name five processes that can lead to hypoxia (ie, decreased oxygen delivery to tissue).
• Decreased cardiac output, hypoxemia, anemia, cyanide poisoning, and carbon monoxide
poisoning
V/Q mismatch
• A ventilation/perfusion ratio that approaches 0 for a given area of lung indicates that what is
occurring in that area?
• Airway obstruction, creating a shunt of blood flow that does not participate in gas exchange
• 1 to 1
• What process causes the ventilation at the apex of the lungs to be considered "wasted?"
• The high alveolar pressure at the apex causes compression of the capillaries, and thus an
inability to undertake gas exchange with the blood vessels
• Within what part of the lung does ventilation/perfusion equal approximately 0.6?
• In the lung base (zone 3), arrange the following in order of increasing pressure: artery, vein,
alveolus.
• The apex
• Is perfusion greater at the base of the lung or the apex of the lung?
• Is ventilation greater at the base of the lung or the apex of the lung?
• Ventilation
• The vasodilation of the apical capillaries of the lung that occurs with exercise results in what
change to the ventilation/perfusion ratio?
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• The ventilation/perfusion ratio approaches 1, maximizing gas exchange to meet the metabolic
demands of exercise
• When blood flow (but not airflow) into an area of the lungs is obstructed such that the
ventilation/perfusion ratio approaches infinity, the area can be considered what type of
space?
• In zone 2 of the lung, arrange the following in order of increasing pressure: artery, vein ,
alveolus.
• Perfusion
• In hypoxia due to _____ (dead space/shunting), 100% oxygen does not improve the partial
pressure of oxygen in the blood; while in hypoxia due to increased _____ (dead
space/shunting), there is an improvement in the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood.
• Zone 3
• Zone 1
• What is the name for the process whereby airway obstruction leads to perfusion with no
ventilation within an area of the lungs?
• Shunt
• A ventilation/perfusion ratio that approaches infinity for a given area of lung indicates that
what is occurring in that area?
• In the lung apex (zone 1), arrange the following in order of increasing pressure: artery, vein,
alveolus.
CO2 transport
• What is the name for the effect in which the oxygenation of hemoglobin within the lungs
promotes the dissociation of carbon dioxide from hemoglobin?
• In peripheral tissues, the right shift of the oxygen dissociation curve that results from
decreased pH causes an unloading of oxygen. What is this effect called?
• Other than as bicarbonate, in what two other ways is carbon dioxide transported from the
tissues to the lungs?
• The dissociation of a proton from hemoglobin and therefore a decrease in pH, which favors
formation of carbon dioxide from bicarbonate
• What percentage of carbon dioxide gets transported from the tissues to the lungs as
carbaminohemoglobin; as dissolved carbon dioxide?
• After it is inside a red blood cell, each carbon dioxide molecule combines with which molecule
in a reaction catalyzed by carbonic anhydrase?
• Water
• What enzyme catalyzes the conversion of carbon dioxide and water into carbonic acid?
• Carbonic anhydrase
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• In which forms is carbon dioxide transported from the tissues to the lungs?
• Three forms: (1) as bicarbonate, (2) bound to hemoglobin as carbaminohemoglobin, and (3)
dissolved
• Ninety percent of the carbon dioxide transported from the tissues to the lungs is in what
form?
• Within a red blood cell, the carbonic acid formed from the combination of carbon dioxide and
water dissociates into what two compounds?
• What is the fate of the bicarbonate that results from the deprotonation of carbonic acid
within an red blood cell?
• It gets exchanged out of the red blood cell for a chloride molecule that enters the red blood
cell
• Regarding carbon dioxide transport, in which direction will the lower pH of peripheral tissues
(compared to the lungs) shift the oxygen dissociation curve?
• The increased renal excretion of bicarbonate that is seen in response to high altitude can be
augmented using what?
• Acetazolamide; the drug is a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor that makes the urine more basic
• Bicarbonate
• The increased renal excretion of bicarbonate that is seen in response to high altitude
compensates for what?
Response to exercise
• It becomes more uniform from apex to base; hence gas exchange is more efficient
• PaO2 and PaCO2 do not change in response to exercise but venous CO2 content increases
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