RESPIRATORY

PHYSIOLOGY
PART Ib
Overview

Mechanics of breathing
refers to the factors that participate
in moving of the lungs and of the
chest wall along the respiratory cycle
Breathing

 Breathing, or pulmonary ventilation,

consists of two phases
 Inspiration – air flows into the lungs

 Expiration – gases exit the lungs

Pulmonary Ventilation
 A mechanical process that depends on
volume changes in the thoracic cavity

 Volume changes → pressure changes

→ flow of gases to equalize pressure
Pressure Relationships in the
Thoracic Cavity

 Respiratory pressure is always described

in relation to atmospheric pressure
 Respiratory pressure of 0 = atmospheric P
 (-) “ “ of -4 = 756 mmHg
 (+) “ “ of +4 = 764 mmHg
Pulmonary Pressures
 Atmospheric pressure = Patm
 Intrapulmonary pressure = Palv

 Intrapleural pressure = Pip

 Transpulmonary pressure
Atmospheric Pressure
 760 mm Hg at sea level
 decreases as altitude increases
 increases under water
 Other lung pressures given
relative to atmospheric
(set Patm = 0 mm Hg)
Intra-alveolar Pressure
(intrapulmonary pressure)

 pressure within the alveoli

 varies with phase of respiration
 During inspiration = negative
(less than atmospheric)
 During expiration = positive
(more than atmospheric)
 but it always equalizes with atmospheric P

 Difference between Palv and Patm

drives ventilation
Alveolar pressure

 During inspiration:  –1cm of H2O (this slight

negative pressure is enough to move about 0.5 liter
of air into the lungs in the first 2 second of
inspiration)

 During expiration: it rises to about +1cm of H2O

(this forces 0.5 liter of inspired air out of the lungs
during the 2 to 3 seconds of expiration
Intrapleural Pressure
 Pressure inside pleural cavity
 Always negative under normal conditions

 Always less than Palv

 Varies with phase of respiration

 varies between -5 and -7.5 cmH2O
(inspiration to expiration)
 At rest, -4 mm Hg
Intrapleural Pressure
 Negative pressure due to :
opposing forces of the lungs trying to
collapse
chest wall trying to expand
Intrapleural pressure
 Always ~ 4 mmHg less than pressure in
alveoli
 Any condition that equalizes the
intrapleural pressure to the intrapulmonary
(atm P) Pressure causes immediate lung
collapse
Collapse of the lungs
 If the pleural space communicates with the
atmosphere, i.e. pleural P = atmospheric P the lung
will collapse
 Causes:
 Puncture of the parietal pleura

 Sucking chest wound

 Erosion of visceral pleura
 Also if a major airway is blocked, the air trapped
distal to the block will be absorbed by the blood
and that segment of the lung will collapse
Pleura and negative pressure

 Pneumothorax: lung
collapse due to air
entering in the pleural
cavity

 (not to be confused
with atelectasis 
alveoli collapse)
Transpulmonary Pressure
 Transpulmonary pressure = Palv – Pip
 Distending pressure across the lung wall
 Keeps the lungs from collapsing
 peaks at the end of inspiration
 Increase in transpulmonary pressure:
 Increase distending pressure across lungs
 Lungs (alveoli) expand, increasing volume
Pressure Relationships

 Intrapulmonary pressure and intrapleural

pressure fluctuate with the phases of
breathing
 Intrapulmonary pressure always eventually
equalizes itself with atmospheric pressure
 Intrapleural pressure is always less than
intrapulmonary pressure and atmospheric
pressure
Pressure Relationships

Figure 22.12
Diagram of Diaphragm
Boyle’s Law
 Boyle’s law – the relationship between the
pressure and volume of gases
 As volume of a chamber increases,
pressure of the gas within it decreases
 As volume of a chamber decreases,
pressure of the gas within it increases
Boyle’s Law

 Volume of gas is inversely proportional to

pressure (if temperature constant)
Volume = Constant
Pressure
P1V1 = P2V2
Boyle’s Law P1V1 = P2V2
Volume of gas is inversely proportional to
pressure (if temperature constant)
Volume = Constant
Pressure
Boyle’s Law P1V1 = P2V2
Volume of gas is inversely proportional to
pressure (if temperature constant)
Volume = Constant
Pressure
CHARLES’ LAW
 If pressure is constant, the volume of a
gas and its temperature vary
proportionately, or V≈T
GENERAL GAS LAW
 At constant temperature, an increase in
thoracic volume leads to a decrease in
pleural pressure
 Driving Force for Air Flow

Airflow driven by the pressure difference between

atmosphere (barometric pressure) and inside the
lungs (alveolar pressure).
760 mmHg
 Pressure gradient drives flow
 Air moves from high to low pressure

 Air moves in and out of lungs by bulk flow

 Inspiration: pressure in lungs less than

atmosphere
 Expiration: pressure in lungs greater than
atmosphere
Muscles of Inspiration

 Diaphragm
 forces abdominal contents down & forward
 External intercostals
 lift ribs up and outwards
 during quiet breathing diaphragm works alone
 during exercise, accessory muscles called into
play
Muscles of Expiration

 Expiration during quiet breathing is passive

due to elastic recoil of chest cavity
 Decrease in lung size force air out of lungs
 During exercise and voluntary
hyperventilation,
 rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus: push
diaphragm up
 internal intercostals: pull ribs downwards
PRESSURE CHANGES AND
AIRFLOW
 Flow of air into and out of the lungs is
governed by two physical principles:
1. Changes in volume result in changes in
pressure
*** Boyle’s law
> muscles of respiration change thoracic
volume and therefore pressure within the
thoracic cavity

2. Air flows from areas of higher to lower

pressure
BREATHING CYCLE
 AT REST ( before inspiration)
A. alveolar pressure equals
atmospheric pressure

B. intrapleural pressure is NEGATIVE

C. lung volume is at FRC

INSPIRATION
EXPIRATION
Normal Breathing Cycle
Normal Breathing Cycle
INSPIRATION
 Inspiratory muscles contract (diaphragm descends;
rib cage rises)
↓
Thoracic cavity volume increases
↓
Lungs stretched; intrapulmonary volume increases
↓
Intrapulmonary pressure drops ( to -1mmHg)
↓
Air flows into the lungs down its pressure gradient until
intrapulmonary pressure is 0 (equal to atmospheric
pressure)
EXPIRATION
 Inspiratory muscles relax (diaphragm rises; rib cage
descends due to recoil of costal cartilages)
↓
Thoracic cavity volume decreases
↓
Elastic lungs recoil passively ; intrapulmonary volume
decreases
↓
Intrapulmonary pressure rises ( to +1mmHg)
↓
Air flows out of lungs down its pressure gradient until
intrapulmonary pressure is 0
Physiology of respiration

In the intact lung as the thoracic

cage expands the pleural and the
alveolar pressures decrease below
atmospheric pressure forcing
airflow to the lung, increasing the
lung volumes
QUESTIONS?
Thank you