Respiration

The process of taking up oxygen and removing carbon dioxide from cells in the body

Howard Mass, Ph.D. August 2011

Processes

Two processes:

Internal (cellular) Respiration

Mitochondrial respiration

a series of complex metabolic reactions that break down molecules of food, releasing carbon dioxide and energy. oxygen is required in the final step of cellular respiration to serve as an electron acceptor in the process by which cells obtain energy.

External Respiration (gas exchange)

Consists of two processes:

Transport of O2 from atmosphere to the mitochondria Transport of CO2 from the mitochondria to the atmosphere

Diffusion

Most fundamental mechanism of O2/CO2 transport

Driving force for diffusion is the ________ gradient In discussion of gases, we use Partial Pressure
(described later)

Described by Fick's Law:

Rate of diffusion of a gas through a tissue slice is proportional to the area but inversely proportional to the thickness Diffusion rate is proportional to the partial pressure difference

Diffusion rate is proportional to solubility of the gas in the tissue; inversely proportional to the square

root of the molecular weight

Flow = P x Area
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Diffusion through a tissue sheet. The amount of gas transferred is proportional to the area (A), a diffusion constant (D), and the difference in partial pressure (P1 - P2), and is inversely proportional to the thickness (T). The constant is proportional to the gas solubility (Sol) but inversely proportional to the square root of its molecular weight (MW).

Surface area increased by development of Bronchi and alveoli

At rest, flow across the alveolar wall is about 3X faster than what is necessary at a normal cardiac output

Changes in Surface area: Surgical, disease (edema)

Simple Diffusion is the mechanism by which O2 and CO2 move short distances in the respiratory system

Between the:

Air and the blood in the alveoli Mitochondria and the blood of the peripheral circulation

Diffusion is an adequate gas delivery system for only very small organisms (~1 mm).
Another mechanism is necessary:

Convection

Adds to the process by bringing more gas to the exchange surface In an organism such as a paramecium, the mechanism of convection is the beating of the cilia In fish, it is movement of water over the gills In mammals, one part of the convection system is an air pump (lungs), the airways, and the respiratory muscles
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Ventilation

The process of moving air into and out of the lungs

Moves the air into contact with the gas-exchange barrier thereby maintaining a high PO2 and low PCO2

An EXTERNAL CONVECTIVE SYSTEM

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Internal Convection System the circulation

Maximizes the flow of O2 and CO2 across the gasexchange barrier

Delivers to the inner surface of the barrier blood that has a low PO2 and a high PCO2 Perfusion

The process of delivering blood to the lungs

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Nomenclature
PAO2
Partial Pressure

gas

Alveolar

CvO2
Content venous

PaCO2
arterial

Fraction

FIO2
inhaled

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Gas Laws

General gas law::

PV = nRT
where T is temperature, n is the number of moles of a gas, and R is a constant.

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Boyle's Law

is commonly used to predict the result of introducing a change, in volume and pressure only, to the initial state of a fixed quantity of gas.

P1V1 = P2V2
Where P1, 2 are the pressures of the system; V1, 2 are the volumes of the gas

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Charles' Law

At constant pressure, the volume of a given mass of an ideal gas increases or decreases by the same factor as its temperature (in Kelvin) increases or decreases

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Dalton's Law
The total pressure of a mixture of gases is the sum of the individual partial pressures.

PB = PN2 + PO2 + PH2O + PCO2

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The partial pressures are the pressures that the individual gases would exert if each gas were present alone in the volume occupied by the whole mixture at the same temperature. Therefore, the partial pressure of oxygen (PO2), according to the Dalton law, is determined as PO2 = PB FO2, where FO2 is the fractional concentration of oxygen. Because 21% of

air is made up of oxygen, the partial pressure (PO2) exerted by oxygen is 160 mm Hg (760
0.21) at sea level. If all of the other gases in a container of air were removed, the remaining oxygen would still exert a pressure of 160 mm Hg. Partial pressure of a gas is often referred to as gas tension, and partial pressure and gas tension are used synonymously.

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Henry's Law

Henry law states that at equilibrium, the amount

of gas dissolved in a liquid at a given

temperature is directly proportional to the partial

pressure and the solubility of the gas.

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Henryslawonlyaccountsforthegasthatis physically dissolved and not for chemically combined gases (e.g., oxygen bound to hemoglobin).
Dissolved O2 (ml/dL) = solubility x PaO2
0.003 (ml/ dL/ mmHg) x PaO2
so, at a PaO2 of 100 mmHg, dissolved O2 = 0.3 ml/dL

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Dissolved O2 ~ 0.3 ml O2 / 100 ml blood

At a cardiac output of 5 L / min, the total amount

of O2 available is 15 ml / min.

A 70 kg person at rest consumes 250 ml O2 /

min

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Other Mechanism for Increasing the Carrying Capacity of Blood for O2 - CO2:

Hemoglobin

Iron containing compound Reversibly binds about 96% of the O2 that diffuses Also carries CO2 Acts as a buffer

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Organization of the Respiratory System

Two important characteristics:

Convection and Diffusion are used Convection used for long distance transport of O2 and CO2 Diffusion used for the short distance movement of these 2 gases

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Key Components

Air Pump the external convective system

Delivers air to, and removes air from the alveoli (alveolar ventilation) Inspiration an active process Expiration - at rest a passive process

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Mechanisms for O2, CO2 carriage in the blood

A surface for gas exchange Internal convection system the circulation Local regulation of Ventilation and Perfusion Central regulation for Ventilation

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Lung Volumes
Dead Space
Anatomic

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 Physiologic

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