Respiratory System Flashcards

Q: What two types of respiration are there?

• A: Aerobic and anaerobic respiration.

Q: Which form of respiration requires oxygen?

• A: Aerobic respiration.

Q: What are the primary gases exchanged in respiration?

• A: Oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Q: Which system works with the respiratory system for gas exchange?

• A: The cardiovascular system.

Q: Define external respiration.

• A: Gas exchange between the lungs and blood.

Q: Define internal respiration.

• A: Gas exchange between blood and body tissues.

Q: What is the respiratory zone?

• A: Area with microscopic structures for gas exchange.

Q: What is the conducting zone?

• A: Passageways that carry air to the respiratory zone.

Q: What epithelium lines the nasal cavity’s olfactory mucosa?

• A: Pseudostratified columnar epithelium.

Q: Name the three regions of the pharynx.

• A: Nasopharynx, oropharynx, laryngopharynx.

Q: Which cartilage blocks the larynx during swallowing?

• A: The epiglottis.

Q: Which structure is the voice box?

• A: The larynx.

Q: How many cartilages make up the larynx?

• A: Nine.

Q: What are the three paired cartilages of the larynx?

• A: Arytenoid, corniculate, and cuneiform.

Q: What is the trachea commonly known as?

• A: The windpipe.

Q: What type of cartilage forms the tracheal rings?

• A: Hyaline cartilage.

Q: Where does the trachea split into primary bronchi?

• A: At the carina.

Q: How many lobar bronchi are in the right lung?

• A: Three.

Q: How many lobar bronchi are in the left lung?

• A: Two.

Q: Name the smallest structure in the conducting zone.

• A: Terminal bronchioles.

Q: What happens to cartilage as airways get smaller?

• A: It decreases.

Q: What increases in smaller bronchioles?

• A: Smooth muscle.

Q: What structures are in the respiratory zone?

• A: Respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts, alveolar sacs.

Q: What cells produce surfactant in alveoli?

• A: Type II alveolar cells.

Q: What is surfactant’s role?

• A: Reduces surface tension in alveoli.

Q: What are pulmonary arteries responsible for?

• A: Carrying deoxygenated blood to the lungs.

Q: What do pulmonary veins do?

• A: Return oxygenated blood to the heart.

Q: What membrane surrounds the lungs?

• A: The pleura.

Q: What is intrapleural pressure?

• A: Pressure within the pleural cavity.

Q: What happens if intrapleural pressure equals atmospheric pressure?

• A: Lung collapse.

Q: What is pneumothorax?

• A: Air in the pleural cavity causing lung collapse.

Q: State Boyle’s Law.

• A: Pressure is inversely proportional to volume.

Q: What happens to lung volume during inspiration?

• A: It increases.

Q: What happens to pressure in the lungs during inspiration?

• A: It decreases.

Q: What causes air to flow into the lungs?

• A: Lower pressure inside the lungs compared to outside.

Q: What happens to lung volume during expiration?

• A: It decreases.

Q: What is pulmonary ventilation?

• A: Movement of air into and out of the lungs.

Q: What is tidal volume?

• A: Air volume in a normal breath.

Q: What is inspiratory reserve volume?

• A: Volume of air inhaled beyond a normal breath.

Q: Define expiratory reserve volume.

• A: Volume of air exhaled beyond a normal exhalation.

Q: What is residual volume?

• A: Air remaining in lungs after forced exhalation.

Q: Differentiate between obstructive and restrictive lung diseases.

• A: Obstructive blocks airflow; restrictive limits lung expansion.

Q: What is partial pressure?

• A: Pressure exerted by an individual gas in a mixture.

Q: How much oxygen do we exhale?

• A: About 16%.

Q: Why does partial pressure decrease with altitude?

• A: Lower atmospheric pressure.

Q: Why does CO₂ diffuse at the same rate as O₂ despite a smaller gradient?

• A: CO₂ is more soluble.

Q: Where is most O₂ carried in the blood?

• A: Bound to hemoglobin.

Q: How many oxygen molecules can hemoglobin carry?

• A: Four.

Q: What is hypoxia?

• A: Inadequate oxygen delivery to tissues.

Q: What is cyanosis?

• A: Bluish coloration due to low oxygen.

Q: Name a cause of hypoxic hypoxia.

• A: Low hemoglobin levels.

Q: How is most CO₂ transported?

• A: As bicarbonate in blood.

Q: What is the chloride shift?

• A: Exchange of chloride ions with bicarbonate in RBCs.

Q: What happens to blood pH when CO₂ increases?

• A: pH decreases.

Q: What causes hyperventilation?

• A: High CO₂, low O₂, or acidic blood pH.

Q: Define hyperventilation.

• A: Excessive ventilation reducing blood CO₂.

Q: What is asthma?

• A: Reversible bronchospasm and inflammation.

Q: Name two diseases under COPD.

• A: Emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Q: What happens to the heart with COPD?

• A: Right ventricular enlargement.

Q: What is the role of alveolar macrophages?

• A: Engulf foreign particles in alveoli.

• Q: What happens to the diaphragm during inspiration?

• A: It contracts and moves downward.

62. Q: What role do intercostal muscles play in breathing?

• A: They help expand and contract the rib cage.

63. Q: What is the difference between quiet and forced breathing?

• A: Quiet breathing occurs at rest; forced breathing occurs during physical activity or stress.

64. Q: What is spirometry?

• A: A test used to measure lung volumes and capacities.

65. Q: What is functional residual capacity (FRC)?

• A: The volume of air remaining in the lungs after a normal expiration.

66. Q: What is vital capacity?

• A: The maximum amount of air a person can exhale after a maximum inhalation.

67. Q: What is dead space?

• A: Air that fills the conducting zone and does not participate in gas exchange.

68. Q: What are alveolar macrophages?

• A: Immune cells in the alveoli that remove debris and pathogens.

69. Q: What is hypoventilation?

• A: Inadequate ventilation, leading to high CO₂ levels in the blood.

70. Q: What is respiratory alkalosis?

• A: A condition where CO₂ levels drop, raising blood pH.

71. Q: What is respiratory acidosis?

• A: A condition where CO₂ levels increase, lowering blood pH.

72. Q: What is the Haldane effect?

• A: The phenomenon where deoxygenated blood can carry more CO₂.

73. Q: What is the Bohr effect?

• A: Hemoglobin's oxygen binding decreases with increased CO₂ and lower pH.

74. Q: What is minute ventilation?

• A: Total volume of air entering or leaving the lungs per minute.

75. Q: What structure in the brain controls involuntary respiration?

• A: The medulla oblongata.

76. Q: Which brain structure modifies breathing during speech and emotional responses?

• A: The pons.

77. Q: What is apnea?

• A: Temporary cessation of breathing.

78. Q: What is dyspnea?

• A: Difficult or labored breathing.

79. Q: How does the body respond to high CO₂ levels?

• A: By increasing the rate and depth of breathing.

80. Q: What is the main stimulus for breathing in healthy individuals?

• A: High levels of CO₂ in the blood.

81. Q: What effect does low oxygen have on chemoreceptors in the aorta and carotid arteries?

• A: It stimulates them to increase ventilation.

82. Q: How does altitude affect oxygen saturation in the blood?

• A: Lower atmospheric pressure at high altitudes reduces oxygen saturation.

83. Q: What is bronchoconstriction?

• A: Narrowing of the bronchi, often due to allergens or irritants.

84. Q: What is the effect of sympathetic stimulation on bronchi?

• A: It causes bronchodilation.

85. Q: What is the purpose of the mucociliary escalator in the trachea?

• A: To trap and move particles out of the respiratory tract.

86. Q: What happens during pulmonary edema?

• A: Fluid accumulates in the alveoli, impairing gas exchange.

87. Q: What is the function of the nasal conchae?

• A: To increase the surface area for warming and moistening air.

88. Q: What is the significance of a respiratory membrane?

• A: It is the site where gas exchange occurs between alveoli and blood.

89. Q: How does the respiratory system help regulate blood pH?

• A: By adjusting CO₂ levels through breathing rate.

90. Q: How does carbon monoxide affect oxygen transport?

• A: It binds to hemoglobin more strongly than oxygen, reducing oxygen delivery.