Physiology: Respiratory System, Blood, Blood Pressure 🩺👨‍⚕️🩸

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Respiratory Anatomy

• Nasal Cavity

  • Passageway from external environment to pharynx

  • Complex network of tunnels, hairs, bones, mucus, and cartilage that benefited breathing:

    • Function(s):

      • Nose Hairs - Filters air clean of larger particles

      • Warms air

      • Mucus - Traps bacteria from entering lungs

• Pharynx (throat) - PHOOD

  • Chamber shared with digestive system (liquid & food)

• Larynx:- LARRY AIR

  • Separated chamber where only air is designed to travel through

  • Epiglottis → flap that covers opening to larynx, prevents bolus from going down the respiratory tract

• Trachea (windpipe)

  • Tough flexible tube

  • C-ring cartilage to prevent overexpansion of the tracheal walls

• Bronchi - thiccccccc(C) (bronchus)

  • Gets smaller as it branches out

    • Right bronchi larger than left

      • Divisions:

        • Primary bronchi (2 total, one right one left)

        • Secondary: second division entering lung lobes

        • Tertiary: third division

          

• Bronchiole

  • Small tubes from division of the bronchi

    • Serves as regulator of airflow (constricting to result in less, widening resulting in more)

• Alveoli

  • Small sacs at inner surface of lungs

    • Gas exchange occurs

    • 150 million alveoli per lung

• Turbinates

  • Superior Turbinate

    • Filters and humidifiers air & sense of smell

  • Middle Turbinate

    • Regulates airflow & drains mucus from sinuses

  • Inferior Turbinate

    • Regulates airflow

  • Inflamed Inferior Turbinate

    • When inflamed, it blocks airflow

      • Stuffy nose

      • Facial pressure

      • Sinus infections

      • Headaches

Why should one breathe through their nose & not their mouth?

• The nose acts as a natural filter

• It warms up the air you breathe before it goes in your system

• More efficient uptake of oxygen

Respiratory Physiology

• Diaphragm

  • Muscle at the bottom of the rib cage

  • Regulates the volume of thoracic cavity (lungs & rib cage area)

    • LARGER the cavity, the LARGER the lungs

    • SMALLER the cavity, the SMALLER the lungs

  • Air moves from high to low

• Boyle’s Law

  • 

• Steps to Air Flow

  • Volume of the lungs changes →

  • Pressure in the lungs changes →

  • Causes pressure inside vs outside to change →

  • Air moves

  • 

Lung Capacity

• 

• Total Lung Volumes

  • Males: 6000 ml

  • Females: 4200 ml

• Total Lung Capacity

  • Maximum volume of air the lungs can hold after a maximal inhalation. 

    • Calculation:

      • TLC = IRV + TV + ERV + RV

    • Examples

      • Balloon that can be fully inflated. The maximum amount of air you can blow into the balloon before it bursts represents the total lung capacity.

• Tidal Wave Volume

  • Standard breath cycle, the volume of air inhaled or exhaled during a normal, quiet breath.

    • Example

      • Think of the tides, going in and out comfortably

• Inspiratory Reserve Volume (IRV → Mona w/ her IV → from normal to extra inhale)

  • The extra volume of air that can be inspired with maximal effort

    • Example

      • After a normal breath, if you take a deep, forceful breath, the extra air you inhale beyond the normal breath is your inspiratory reserve volume. 

• Expiratory Reserve Volume (ERV → the ER after choking → from normal to extra exhale)

  • Max amount of air that can be forcefully exhaled

    • Example

      • After a normal breath, if you forcefully blow out as much air as you can, the extra air you exhale beyond the normal breath is your expiratory reserve volume. 

• Vital Capacity (VC → PVC Pipe → blow in deep and out deep)

  • The maximum volume of air that can be exhaled after a maximum inhalation.

    • Calculation:

      • VC = IRV + TV + ERV

    • Example

      • Imagine taking a deep breath and then forcefully blowing out as much air as you can. The total amount of air you exhale is your vital capacity.

• Residual Volume (RV → an RV car being looted → remaining thing in the RV → remaing breath after exhalation)

  • The volume of air that remains in the lungs after a maximum forceful exhalation. 

  • Example

    • Even after a forceful exhale, some air remains in your lungs. This remaining air is the residual volume.

• Minimal Volume (MOST MINI VOLUME)

  • Component of the residual volume

    • Smallest possible volume of air remaining in the lungs before collapse

Blood

• 4 components of blood

  • Plasma (55%)

    • Yellowish STICKYYYYY fluid

      • Made of mostly water and proteins

      • Carries HEAT energy

      • Carries dissolved materials like glucose, AA’s, vitamins, minerals, salts

    • Provides immune defense

  • Red Blood Cells (45%)

    • Transporter cells

      • Concave shaped

      • NO nucleus or mitochondria

      • Life span of 4 months, recycled by LIVER & SPLEEN

      • 5 million RBCS

    • Rich in hemoglobin

    • Protein that allows binding of Oxygen

      • Iron helps oxygen binding

      • ANEMIA is lack of properly functioning RBCs, typically due to hemoglobin deficiency

  • White Blood Cells (<1%)

    • Phagocytes or Lymphocytes

    • Possess a nucleus

      • Feed pathogens via Phagocytosis

      • Produce antibodies/use cell mediation

  • Platelets (<1%)

    

    • Tiny fragments of bone marrow cells

    • Hemostasis (clotting): use of prothrombin, thrombin, and fibrin to form fibers → connect using a positive feedback loop (reinforce)

      • Prevents bleeding, but can cause undesired blood clots preventing blood flow

Blood Vessels

• Blood Vessels

  • Arteries

    • Carries blood AWAY from heart to organs

  • Veins

    • Carries blood FROM the organs BACK to the heart

  • Capillaries

    • Tiny vessels that connect arteries and veins

      • Thin walls that allow blood to exchange oxygen

  • Arterioles

    • Small blood vessels that branch off from arteries

      • Carry blood from arteries to capillaries

• Systolic & Diastolic

  • Systolic

    • The top #

      • Measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats

  • Diastolic

    • The bottom #

      • Measures the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats.

• Risk Factors/Activities

  • Alcohol Consumption

  • Caffeine

  • Lack of exercise

  • Obesity

  • Stress

  • Lack of sleep

  • Smoking

• Non-controllable ones

  • Race

  • Family History

  • Gender

  • Age

• Difference between essential & secondary hypertension

  • Essential hypertension

    • Often has no identifiable cause, but may be linked to genetics, aging, stress, salt, obesity, or lack of exercise

  • Secondary hypertension

    • Caused by an identifiable condition that affects the heart, kidneys, arteries, or endocrine system. It can also occur during pregnancy.

• Heart attacks

  • Blockage in one or more of the coronary arteries

    • Blockage typically stems from the buildup of plaque (Atherosclerosis)

  • Plaque rupture (thrombosis)

• Heart Failures

  • Stiff & inflexible making it difficult for the ventricles to relax

    • Hypertrophy: heart muscle may thicken as it works harder to compensate for reduced pumping capacity

• High Blood Pressure

  • the constant high pressure forces the heart to work harder and damages the blood vessels, making them stiffer, narrower, and more prone to disease.

Systolic & Diastolic

• Systolic & Diastolic

  

  • Systolic

    • The top #

      • Measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats

  • Diastolic

    • The bottom #

      • Measures the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats.

Risk Factors/Hypertension/Heart Attacks

• Risk Factors/Activities

  • Alcohol Consumption

  • Caffeine

  • Lack of exercise

  • Obesity

  • Stress

  • Lack of sleep

  • Smoking

• Non-controllable ones

  • Race

  • Family History

  • Gender

  • Age

• Difference between essential & secondary hypertension

  • Essential hypertension

    • Often has no identifiable cause, but may be linked to genetics, aging, stress, salt, obesity, or lack of exercise

  • Secondary hypertension

    • Caused by an identifiable condition that affects the heart, kidneys, arteries, or endocrine system. It can also occur during pregnancy.

• Heart attacks

  • Blockage in one or more of the coronary arteries

    • Blockage typically stems from the buildup of plaque (Atherosclerosis)

  • Plaque rupture (thrombosis)

• Heart Failures

  • Stiff & inflexible making it difficult for the ventricles to relax

    • Hypertrophy: heart muscle may thicken as it works harder to compensate for reduced pumping capacity

• High Blood Pressure

  • the constant high pressure forces the heart to work harder and damages the blood vessels, making them stiffer, narrower, and more prone to disease.