PHYSIOLOGY OF

RESPIRATION
PULMONARY VENTILATION
The goals of respiration are to provide oxygen to
the tissues and to remove carbon dioxide. To
achieve these goals, respiration can be divided into
four major functions:
(1) pulmonary ventilation, which means the inflow
and outflow of air between the atmosphere and the
lung alveoli; (2) diffusion of oxygen and carbon
dioxide between the alveoli and the blood; (3)
transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood
and body fluids to and from the body’s tissue cells;
and (4) regulation of ventilation and other facets of
respiration.
WORK OF BREATHING
The work of inspiration can be divided into three
fractions: (1) that required to expand the lungs against
the lung and chest elastic forces, called compliance work
or elastic work;
(2) that required to overcome the viscosity
of the lung and chest wall structures, called tissue
resistance work; and
(3) that required to overcome
airway resistance to movement of air into the lungs,
called airway resistance work.
PULMONARY VOLUME

1. The tidal volume is the volume of air inspired or expired with each normal
breath; it amounts to about 500 milliliters in the adult male.
2. The inspiratory reserve volume is the extra volume of air that can be inspired
over and above the normal tidal volume when the person inspires with full
force; it is usually equal to about 3000 milliliters.
3. The expiratory reserve volume is the maximum extra volume of air that can
be expired by forceful expiration after the end of a normal tidal expiration;
this normally amounts to about 1100 milliliters.
4. The residual volume is the volume of air remaining in the lungs after the
most forceful expiration; this volume averages about 1200 milliliters.
PULMONARY CAPACITIES
1. The inspiratory capacity equals the tidal volume plus the inspiratory reserve
volume. This is the amount of air (about 3500 milliliters) a person can breathe in,
beginning at the normal expiratory level and distending the lungs to the
maximum amount.
2. The functional residual capacity equals the expiratory reserve volume plus the
residual volume. This is the amount of air that remains in the lungs at the end of
normal expiration (about 2300 milliliters). Recording, drum, Mouthpiece,
Counterbalancing, weight
3. The vital capacity equals the inspiratory reserve volume plus the tidal volume
plus the expiratory reserve volume. This is the maximum amount of air a person
can expel from the lungs after first filling the lungs to their maximum extent and
then expiring to the maximum extent (about 4600 milliliters).
4. The total lung capacity is the maximum volume to which the lungs can be
expanded with the greatest possible effort (about 5800 milliliters); it is equal to
the vital capacity plus the residual volume.
ALVEOLAR VENTILATION

The ultimate importance of pulmonary ventilation is

to continually renew the air in the gas exchange areas
of the lungs, where air is in proximity to the pulmonary
blood. These areas include the alveoli, alveolar sacs,
alveolar ducts, and respiratory bronchioles. The rate at
which new air reaches these areas is called alveolar
ventilation.
RESPIRATORY PRESSURE

1. Pleural Pressure and Its Changes During Respiration

Pleural pressure is the pressure of the fluid in the thin space
between the lung pleura and the chest wall pleura.
2. Alveolar Pressure
Alveolar pressure is the pressure of the air inside the lung alveoli.
3. Transpulmonary Pressure
Is the value of elastic power in the lung that tends to deflating
the lung. It is the difference between alveoli pressure & pleural
pressure (the outer surface of the lung): transmural pressure
gradient
DEAD SPACE AIR

Dead space air is air that fills the airway & does not reach the gas
exchange area
Volume of loss space
Normal in young adults: 150 ml increase with age
Dead space anatomy
The respiratory system from the nose to the terminalis bronchiole
Dead space physiology
Anatomical dead space + alveoli that does not work usually only in
sick people
DIFFUSION
This diffusion occurs because of the difference in pressure, the gas
diffuses from high pressure to low pressure
When oxygenated blood reaches the tissue, O2 flows from the
blood into the tissue fluid because the PO2 in the blood is greater
than in the tissue fluid.
CO2 is produced in cells, flowing into the tissue fluid. PCO2 in the
tissue fluid is greater than in the blood, and therefore CO2 flows
from the tissue fluid into the blood.
The respiratory membrane may affect the diffusion process,
because if there are changes in the thickness of the respiratory
membrane due to an illness will interfere with the gas diffusion
process between the alveoli and its capillaries.
 DIFFUSION OF GASES THROUGH
THE RESPIRATORY MEMBRANE

 Gas exchange between the alveolar air and the pulmonary blood occurs through the membranes of all the
terminal portions of the lungs, not merely in the alveoli themselves. All these membranes are collectively
known as the respiratory membrane, also called the pulmonary membrane.
• There are different layers of the respiratory membrane, such as :
1. A layer of fluid lining the alveolus and containing surfactant that reduces the surface tension of the
alveolar fluid
2. The alveolar epithelium composed of thin epithelial cells
3. An epithelial basement membrane
4. A thin interstitial space between the alveolar epithelium and the capillary membrane
5. A capillary basement membrane that in many places fuses with the alveolar epithelial basement
membrane
6. The capillary endothelial membrane
ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE ALVEOLAR RESPIRATORY MEMBRANE, SHOWN IN CROSS SECTION.
FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE RATE OF GAS DIFFUSION
THROUGH THE RESPIRATORY MEMBRANE

The factors that determine how rapidly a gas will pass through the membrane
are :
(1) the thickness of the membrane,
(2) The surface area of the membrane
(3) the diffusion coefficient of the gas in the substance of the membrane, and
(4) the partial pressure difference of the gas between the two sides of the
membrane
ROLE OF HEMOGLOBIN IN OXYGEN TRANSPORT

Normally, about 97 per cent of the oxygen transported from the lungs to
the tissues is carried in chemical combination with hemoglobin in the red
blood cells.
The remaining 3 per cent is transported in the dissolved state in the water
of the plasma and blood cells.
Thus, under normal conditions, oxygen is carried to the tissues almost
entirely by hemoglobin.
The oxygen molecule combines loosely and reversibly with the heme
portion of hemoglobin
When Po is high, as in the pulmonary capillaries, oxygen binds with the
hemoglobin
When Po2 is low, as in the tissue capillaries, oxygen is released from the
hemoglobin
This is the basis for almost all oxygen transport from the lungs to the
tissues
The blood of a normal person contains about 15 grams of hemoglobin in
each 100 milliliters of blood, and each gram of hemoglobin can bind with
a maximum of 1.34 milliliters of oxygen
Under normal conditions, about 5 milliliters of oxygen are transported
from the lungs to the tissues by each 100 milliliters of blood flow
REGULATION OF RESPIRATION
The respiratory center is composed of several groups of neurons located
bilaterally in the medulla oblongata and pons of the brain stem. It is divided into
three major collections of neurons:
(1)a dorsal respiratory group, located in the dorsal portion of the medulla,
which mainly causes inspiration;
(2) a ventral respiratory group, located in the ventrolateral part of the medulla,
which mainly causes expiration; and
(3) the pneumotaxic center, located dorsally in the superior portion of the pons,
which mainly controls rate
and depth of breathing
MEDULLARY RESPIRATORY CENTER
Consists of 2 groups of neurons:
1. Dorsal respiration group (DRG):
 Mainly composed of inspiring neurons with descending fibers that end in motor neurons that
supply the inspiratory muscles.
 The basic rhythm of the vents

2. Ventral respiratory group (VRG)

 It consists of inspiring neurons and expiratory neurons
 Inactive during quiet breathing
 During active expiration, expiratory neurons stimulate motor neurons that innervate expiratory
muscles
 VRG inspiratory neurons, when stimulated by DRG, spur inspirational activity as ventilation
requirements increase
 RESPIRATORY CENTER OF THE PONS

1. Apnustic Center :
Encourage inspiration with the stimulation of inspiratory neurons in the medulla
Provide a constant stimulus for inspiration
2. Pneumotaxic Center :
Antagonize the apneustic center
Sending impulses to the DRG helps "turn off" inspiration, so the duration of
inspiration is limited
Helps inspiration stop and allow expiration to walk normally
A PNEUMOTAXIC CENTER LIMITS THE DURATION OF
INSPIRATION AND INCREASES THE RESPIRATORY RATE

A pneumotaxic center, located dorsally in the nucleus

parabrachialis of the upper pons, transmits signals to the
inspiratory area
When the pneumotaxic signal is strong, inspiration might last for
as little as 0.5 second, thus filling the lungs only slightly
When the pneumotaxic signal is weak, inspiration might continue
for 5 or more seconds, thus filling the lungs with a great excess of
air
CHEMICAL CONTROL OF RESPIRATION

The ultimate goal of respiration is to maintain proper concentrations of

oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen ions in the tissues
Excess carbon dioxide or excess hydrogen ions in the blood mainly act directly
on the respiratory center itself, causing greatly increased strength of both the
inspiratory and the expiratory motor signals to the respiratory muscles
Oxygen, in contrast, does not have a significant direct effect on the respiratory
center of the brain in controlling respiration
It acts almost entirely on peripheral chemoreceptors located in the carotid
and aortic bodies, and these in turn transmit appropriate nervous signals to
the respiratory center for control of respiration.
CHEMORECEPTORS

1. Central Kemoreceptor
It is important for changes in H-ion levels associated with respiratory factors.
o Hypoventilation  respiratory acidosis (low pH, high PCO2): decreased pulmonary tissue,
decreased ventilation
o Hyperventilation  respiratory alkalosis (high pH, low PCO2): respiration during O2
deficiency or due to psychic changes

2. Peripheral
o Carotid bodies and aortic bodies
o Serves to regulate breathing indirectly through the sensory nerve fibers to the medulla
 OTHER FACTORS REGULATING RESPIRATION

1. Strong pain & emotion: working through the hypothalamus stimulates or inhibits
the respiratory center
2. Voluntary control: sends signals from the cerebral cortex to respiratory muscles so
that the frequency & depth of the breath can be consciously regulated while
holding your breath, talking or singing.
3. Pulmonary Irritants: dust, cigarette smoke etc. trigger a protective reflex like
coughing & sneezing which is an effort to get irritants out of the airway.
4. Pulmonary hyperplasia: stretching of the receptors in the visceral pleura & the
airway transmits inhibitory signals to the respiratory center during deep breathing,
to prevent excessive stretching of the lung (= "herring-breuer reflexes").
BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Guyton, A.C and Hall, J.E. Textbook of Medical Physiology. 12th Edition. 2014