ILA COLLEGE OF HEALTH

KUJE

RESPIRATORY PHYSIOLOGY

ZAKARI MUHAMMED BABA

INTRODUCTION
• Respiration is the process by which oxygen is taken in
and carbon dioxide is given out.
• The first breath takes place only after birth. Fetal lungs
are non-functional. So, during intrauterine life the
exchange of gases between fetal blood and mother’s
blood occurs through placenta.
• After the first breath, the respiratory process continues
throughout the life.
• Permanent stoppage of respiration occurs only at death.
NORMAL RESPIRATORY RATE AT
DIFFERENT AGE
• Newborn: 30 to 60/minute
• Early childhood : 20 to 40/minute
• Late childhood : 15 to 25/minute
• Adult : 12 to 16/minute.
TYPES OF RESPIRATION
• Respiration is classified into two types:
• 1. External respiration that involves exchange of respiratory gases, i.e.
oxygen and carbon dioxide between lungs and blood
• 2. Internal respiration, which involves exchange of gases between
blood and tissues.
PHASES OF RESPIRATION
• Respiration occurs in two phases:
• 1. Inspiration during which air enters the lungs from atmosphere
• 2. Expiration during which air leaves the lungs. During normal
breathing, inspiration is an active process and expiration is a passive
process.
FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY OF
RESPIRATORY TRACT
• Respiratory tract is the anatomical structure through
which air moves in and out. It includes nose, pharynx,
larynx, trachea, bronchi and lungs.
• Pleura
• Each lung is enclosed by a bilayered serous membrane
called pleura or pleural sac.
• Pleura has two layers namely inner visceral and outer
parietal layers.
• Visceral layer is attached firmly to the surface of the
lungs. At hilum, it is continuous with parietal layer,
which is attached to the wall of thoracic cavity.
• Intrapleural Space or Pleural Cavity
Intrapleural space or pleural cavity is the narrow space in
between the two layers of pleura.
• Intrapleural Fluid
Intrapleural space contains a thin film of serous fluid
called intrapleural fluid, which is secreted by the visceral
layer of the pleura.

• Functions of intrapleural fluid

1. It functions as the lubricant to prevent friction
between two layers of pleura
2. It is involved in creating the negative pressure called
intrapleural pressure within intrapleural space.
Tracheobronchial Tree
• Trachea and bronchi are together called tracheo­bronchial tree. It
forms a part of air passage.
• Components of tracheobronchial tree
1. Trachea bifurcates into two main or primary bronchi called right
and left bronchi
2. Each primary bronchus enters the lungs and divides into secondary
bronchi
3. Secondary bronchi divide into tertiary bronchi. In right lung, there
are 10 tertiary bronchi and in left lung, there are eight tertiary bronchi
4. Tertiary bronchi divide several times with reduction in length and
diameter into many generations of bronchioles
5. When the diameter of bronchiole becomes 1 mm or less, it is called
terminal bronchiole
6. Terminal bronchiole continues or divides into respiratory
bronchioles, which have a diameter of 0.5 mm.
• Upper and Lower Respiratory Tracts
Generally, respiratory tract is divided into two parts:
1. Upper respiratory tract that includes all the
structures from nose up to vocal cords; vocal cords
are the folds of mucous membrane within larynx
that vibrates to produce the voice
2. Lower respiratory tract, which includes trachea,
bronchi and lungs.
ORGANS OF RESPIRATION
• Mouth and nose: Openings that pull air from outside
your body into your respiratory system.
• Sinuses: Hollow areas between the bones in your
head that help regulate the temperature and
humidity of the air you inhale.
• Pharynx (throat): Tube that delivers air from your
mouth and nose to the trachea (windpipe).
• Trachea: Passage connecting your throat and lungs.
• Bronchial tubes: Tubes at the bottom of your
windpipe that connect into each lung.
LUNGS
• The normal human lungs weigh about 1.25 kg.
• The lungs contain about 300 million alveoli.
• The diameter of the alveoli is 0.2 mm-0.3mm.
• The alveolar wall is made up of a single layer of cells
called pneumocytes which lie on the basement
membrane.
• There are two types of pneumocytes (alveolar epithelial
cells).
• Type I pneumocytes are the main primary lining cells
which are thin, flat endothelial cells.
• Type II pneumocytes are much less in number and are
thicker granulocytes.
NON-RESPIRATORY FUNCTIONS OF RESPIRATORY TRACT
1. OLFACTION; Olfactory receptors present in the mucous
membrane of nostril are responsible for olfactory
sensation. „
2. VOCALIZATION; Along with other structures, larynx
forms the speech apparatus. However, larynx alone
plays major role in the process of vocalization.
Therefore, it is called sound box.
3. PREVENTION OF DUST PARTICLES
Dust particles, which enter the nostrils from air, are
prevented from reaching the lungs by filtration action of
the hairs in nasal mucous membrane. Small particles,
which escape the hairs, are held by the mucus secreted
by nasal mucous membrane.
4. DEFENSE MECHANISM
Lungs play important role in the immunological defense
system of the body. Defense functions of the lungs are
performed by their own defenses and by the presence of
various types of cells in mucous membrane lining the
alveoli of lungs.
5. MAINTENANCE OF WATER BALANCE
Respiratory tract plays a role in water loss mechanism.
During expiration, water evaporates through the expired
air and some amount of body water is lost by this process.
6. REGULATION OF BODY TEMPERATURE
During expiration, along with water, heat is also lost from
the body. Thus, respiratory tract plays a role in heat loss
mechanism.
MECHANICS OF RESPIRATION
• Respiration occurs in two phases namely inspiration and expiration.
• During inspiration, thoracic cage enlarges and lungs expand so that air
enters the lungs easily. During expiration, the thoracic cage and lungs
decrease in size and attain the preinspiratory position so that air
leaves the lungs easily.
• During normal quiet breathing, inspiration is the active process and
expiration is the passive process.
• MUSCLES OF RESPIRATION
• Respiratory muscles are of two types:
1. Inspiratory muscles
2. Expiratory muscles.
However, respiratory muscles are generally classi­fied into
two types:
1. Primary or major respiratory muscles, which are
responsible for change in size of thoracic cage during
normal quiet breathing
2. Accessory respiratory muscles that help primary
respiratory muscles during forced respiration.
RESPIRATORY PRESSURES
• Two types of pressures are exerted in the thoracic
cavity and lungs during process of respiration:
1. Intrapleural pressure or intrathoracic pressure
2. Intra­alveolar pressure or intrapulmonary pressure.
INTRAPLEURAL PRESSURE
• Intrapleural pressure is the pressure existing in pleural
cavity, that is, in between the visceral and parietal
layers of pleura. It is exerted by the suction of the
fluid that lines the pleural cavity. It is also called
intrathoracic pressure since it is exerted in the whole
of thoracic cavity.
Normal Values
• Respiratory pressures are always expressed in relation to
atmospheric pressure, which is 760 mm Hg. Under
physiological conditions, the intrapleural pressure is
always negative.
• INTRA-ALVEOLAR PRESSURE
Intra­alveolar pressure is the pressure existing in the alveoli
of the lungs. It is also known as intrapulmonary pressure.
• Normal Values
Normally, intra­alveolar pressure is equal to the
atmospheric pressure, which is 760 mm Hg. It becomes
negative during inspiration and positive during expiration.
LUNG VOLUMES and CAPACITY
• LUNG VOLUMES
• Static lung volumes are the volumes of air breathed by an
individual. Each of these volumes represents the volume
of air present in the lung under a specified static
condition (specific position of thorax).
Static lung volumes are of four types:
1. Tidal volume
2. Inspiratory reserve volume
3. Expiratory reserve volume
4. Residual volume.
DEAD SPACE
• This refers to the space in the respiratory tract where
the gases do not per-take in the gaseous exchange.
• Some of the air breath in never reaches the gaseous
exchange area but instead goes to feel the respiratory
passages where no gas exchange take place (dead
space).
• There are two type of dead space
Physiological Dead space
Anatomical Dead space
• Physiological Dead space
Refers to the volume of gas not participating in gas
exchange with blood i.e wasted ventilation.

• Anatomical dead space

This refers to all the volume of air in the respiratory
system besides the gas exchange area.
• it is simple the non gas exchange area.
• Different between physiological and anatomical
dead space in healthy person is not significant.
• Normal dead space air in adult is about 150ml/s
HYPOXIA
• Define as the decrease in or insufficient amount of Oxygen supply to
the tissue or decrease in Haemoglobin level in the blood
• TYPES OF HYPOXIA
1. Hypoxic hypoxia: result of decrease in O2 in atmosphere e.g high
altitude, underground mining, respiratory condition like obstruction of
the lungs or legion of the respiratory center
2. Anaemic hypoxia: hypoxia due to low level of
haemoglobin ( fall in RBC count doe to haemolysis and
sickle cell.
3. Histotoxic hypoxia: oxygen is available but the tissue
can not utilize them due to blockage of cytochrome
oxidase enzymes cause by toxic substance e.g cyanides
poison.
4. Stagnant hypoxia: due to sluggish blood flow around
the blood vessels.
CONTROL OF RESPIRATION
• Control of respiration is the control of inspiration and
expiration during normal quiet respiratory activity.
• Inspiration is an active process and expiration is a
passive process
• Normal respiratory rate is 12-15 time/minute
• Breathing occurs rhythmically which is generated
within the respiratory centres found in Medulla
oblongata (DRG, VRG), Botzinger complex and Pons
(PRG)
• Neural control of breathing
• There are two neural control of breathing. An
automatic unconscious breathing, and a voluntary
conscious breathing:
The Automatic control system
• The automatic breathing is controlled by two types of
respiratory neurons found in the brainstem in the pons
and medulla.
• The inspiratory neurons (I neurons) which are
connected by descending tracts to the spinal motor
neuron pools of the diaphragm and other inspiratory
neurons.
2. The expiratory neurons (E neurons) which are
connected by descending tracts to the spinal motor
neurons of the expiratory muscles.

The respiratory neurons are grouped into five groups of

respiratory neurons:
3. The Dorsal respiratory group (DRG)
4. The Ventral respiratory group (VRG)
5. The Botzinger complex (BC)
6. The Apneustic centre
7. The Pneumotaxic centre (PC)
CONDITIONS AFFECT THE RESPIRATORY
SYSTEM

• Many conditions can affect the organs and tissues that make up the
respiratory system.
• Some develop due to irritants you breathe in from the air, including
viruses or bacteria that cause infection.
• Others occur as a result of disease or getting older.
• Conditions that can cause inflammation (swelling, irritation, and pain)
or otherwise affect the respiratory system include:
• Allergies: Inhaling proteins, such as dust, mold, and pollen,
can cause respiratory allergies in some people. These proteins
can cause inflammation in your airways.
• Asthma: A chronic (long-term) disorder, asthma causes
inflammation in the airways that can make breathing difficult.
• Infection: Infections can lead to pneumonia (inflammation of
the lungs) or bronchitis (inflammation of the bronchial tubes).
Common respiratory infections include the flu (influenza) or a
cold.
• Disease: Respiratory disorders include lung cancer and chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These illnesses can
harm the respiratory system’s ability to deliver oxygen
throughout the body and filter out waste gases.
• Aging: Lung capacity decreases as you get older.
• Damage: Damage to the respiratory system can cause
breathing problems.