what is air composed of?
78% N2,
21% O2,
0.033% CO2
Dalton’s Law definition
the total pressure exerted by a mixture of gases is the sum of pressures exerted by all individual gases
partial pressure
the pressure exerted by an individual gas
total air pressure, Patm= …. (all gases)
Pn2+ Po2 + Pco2
in humid air, Patm= … (all gases)
Pn2+ Po2+ Pco2 +Ph2o
in dry air Pgas= Patm*…
Patm*% of gas in atmosphere
in humid air, Pgas= (Patm…)*…
(Patm-Ph2o)*% gas in atmosphere
as alveolar ventilation increases, — increases and — decreases
Po2 increases and Pco2 decreases
in the atmosphere, Po2=?
160 mm Hg
in the atmosphere, Pco2=?
0.25 mm Hg
in the alveoli, Po2=?
(normal quiet breathing)
100 mm Hg
in the alveoli, Pco2=?
(normal quiet breathing)
40 mm Hg
alveolar partial pressures can vary with..
hypoventilation or hyperventilation
match perfusion with ventilation (explain)
perfusion= blood flow through organs and tissues
ventilation= breathing
the rate is matched, v efficient system
100 mm Hg in alveoli= 100 mm Hg in capillary blood
if you hypoventilate… (Po2 and Pco2)
v slow brething
Pco2 rises in alveoli
Po2 falls off
if you hyperventilate… (Po2 and Pco2)
v fast breathing
Pco2 falls off because you keep expelling it
Po2 rises because you keep pulling in o2
How does O2 enter alveoli/circulation?
-at a thin interface
-type I alveolar cells are for exchange
- O2 transported to heart
(98% attached to Hb in RBC, rest dissolved gas in plasma)
- O2 dropped of and used for cell resp.
what happens after O2 is used for cell resp. (byproduct?)
What cellular barriers to O2 and CO2 have to diffuse across?
alveolar epithelial cells and capillary endothelial cells
(2 cells, 4 membranes)
-apical and basolateral membranes
Fick’s Law
greatest flux= high concentration (partial pressure) gradient
big distance= lower flux
–> diffusion rate proportional to: ADdeltaP/T^2
small change in T (thickness)= really big change in rate
rate of diffusion is directly proportional to (3 things)
rate of diffusion is inversely proportional to
diffusion distance (T)
what is T in Fick’s Law?
diffusion distance
- membrane thickness
- interstitial fluid
what patterns does air follow in terms of flow between atmosphere and alveoli?
air moves by bulk flow between atmosphere and alveoli