Oxygenation
The three processes involved in oxygenation.
What is ventilation, respiration (gas exchange), and transport.
The process that moves oxygen from alveolar air into blood
What is diffusion.
The normal lifespan of a red blood cell (RBC)
What is 120 days?
The lung volume that remains after maximal expiration
What is residual volume?
Abnormal collection of fluid in the pleural cavity
What is pleural effusion?
The most common cause of bronchiolitis in infants
What is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)?
This electrolyte is elevated in the sweat test of CF patients
What is sodium chloride (NaCl).
The two most common portals of entry for common cold viruses
What is the nasal mucosa and conjunctival surface of the eyes?
The type of hypersensitivity reaction that describes classic atopic asthma
What is type I (IgE‑mediated) hypersensitivity?
The age group that has fetal hemoglobin with a shorter RBC lifespan
What is infants?
Chemoreceptors increase respiration when PO₂ drops below ~60 mm Hg
What is peripheral chemoreceptors (carotid and aortic bodies)
The molecule formed from heme breakdown that indicates increased RBC destruction
What is bilirubin?
Sympathetic stimulation does this to bronchial smooth muscle
What is bronchodilation and increased rate/depth of respiration?
This results from rupture of an air‑filled subpleural bleb
What is spontaneous pneumothorax
An upper airway disorder presents with a barking cough, and often worse at night
What is viral croup?
The gene mutation that causes cystic fibrosis
What is CFTR gene (chromosome 7)?
This type of influenza is most severe and infects multiple species
What is type A influenza?
These cells release histamine in the early phase of an asthma attack
What is mast cells?
One modifiable and one non‑modifiable individual risk factor for impaired oxygenation.
What is (modifiable) smoking, air pollution exposure, or prolonged immobility; (non‑modifiable) age, genetic conditions.
The reason for ventilation–perfusion (V/Q) mismatch
What is blood going to lung areas without oxygen or oxygen going to areas without perfusion.
This anemia results from low iron availability causing decreased hemoglobin synthesis
What is iron‑deficiency anemia?
The two conditions that decrease lung compliance
What is decreased lung elasticity, airway obstruction, increased alveolar surface tension, or impaired chest wall flexibility.
Two types of fluid that may be found in pleural effusion
What is transudate, exudate, purulent (empyema), chyle, or blood
This is an alarming sign in epiglottitis that suggests impending airway obstruction
What is drooling with open‑mouth posture and difficulty swallowing
The reason respiratory secretions thick and viscid in CF
What is impaired chloride secretion with increased sodium/water absorption that dehydrates the mucociliary blanket.
The classification of rhinosinusitis symptoms lasting 8 weeks
What is subacute rhinosinusitis?
These 3 actions produce wheezing in asthma by narrowing the airways
What is bronchospasm, airway edema, and mucus plugging?
The aspect of oxygenation that is impaired when a patient has adequate RBCs but severe peripheral vasoconstriction.
The reason the right lung will receive more perfusion when a child inhales a peanut and it blocks the left main bronchus
What is hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction that decreases perfusion to poorly ventilated regions.
This deficiency is likely when a patient has macrocytosis and paresthesia (numbness/tingling).
What is vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency, possibly pernicious anemia
This happens to compliance when smoke inhalation injures alveoli and destroys surfactant and why the use positive‑pressure ventilation is needed.
What is decreased compliance?
Symptoms include an abrupt, unilateral sharp chest pain worse with breathing.
What is a pneumothorax?
This is how cystic fibrosis causes malabsorption in children
What is pancreatic duct obstruction that prevents digestive enzymes from reaching the intestine.
This is the mechanism of steatorrhea in CF
What is pancreatic exocrine insufficiency prevents fat digestion, causing fatty, bulky stools
The reason why drainage from the maxillary sinuses is frequently impaired
What is their ostia are positioned superiorly/medially, impeding gravity‑assisted drainage
This is indicated by a decreased FEV₁/PEF with hyperinflation and air trapping
What is a more advanced/severe asthma exacerbation?
Two related concepts that explain why oxygenation problems cause confusion, ischemic pain, and dyspnea.
What is cognition and comfort (also perfusion).
The reason a COPD patient becomes unresponsive when there is an increased supplemental O₂ for a chronically high PCO₂
What is suppression of hypoxic drive led to hypoventilation and CO₂ retention (respiratory failure).
This is deficient when a person with chronic alcohol use has macrocytic anemia but normal intrinsic factor.
What is folate deficiency?
The formula for the measure that indicates the total amount of air the lungs can hold
What is total lung capacity (TLC) = RV + ERV + TV + IRV
This is how a pulmonary embolism (PE) can lead to cor pulmonale
What is a PE acutely raises pulmonary vascular resistance → pulmonary hypertension → right‑ventricular strain/failure (cor pulmonale).
This is the reason neonatal RDS feature protein‑rich fluid in alveoli
What is surfactant deficiency leads to alveolar collapse and increased permeability, allowing protein‑rich fluid leakage.
Six hallmark clinical features of bronchiectasis
What is 1. chronic productive cough, 2. copious foul‑smelling purulent sputum, 3. recurrent infections, 4. hemoptysis, 5. weight loss, and 6. anemia
This is why COVID‑19 can produce multi‑system manifestations and “long COVID”
What is SARS‑CoV‑2 binds ACE2 on multiple tissues and can trigger widespread inflammation and dysregulation.
The process for which impaired ventilation causes hypercapnia and respiratory acidosis in respiratory failure?
What is hypoventilation/V‑Q mismatch leads to CO₂ retention (PaCO₂ >50), lowering pH and causing respiratory acidosis