Respiratory Physiology Quiz

Which of the following is NOT a component of respiratory physiology?

• Respiratory drive

• Ventilation

• Diffusion

• Digestion

Inspiration is:

• A passive process

• An active process

• Driven by internal intercostals and abdominal muscles

• Only active with increased drive

Ventilatory capacity is reduced by:

• Disease processes involving all levels of the respiratory system

• Increased respiratory muscle strength

• Improved lung compliance

• Decreased airway resistance

Gas exchange (diffusion) across the alveolar walls is:

• Directly proportional to tissue thickness

• Inversely proportional to tissue area

• Proportional to the tissue area and the difference in gas partial pressure

• Independent of the gas partial pressure difference

In a healthy individual, perfusion is:

• Matched to ventilation

• Maximal at lung apices when upright

• Unrelated to ventilation

• Minimal at lung bases when upright

Poiseuille's Law states that resistance is:

• Directly proportional to radius

• Inversely proportional to radius

• Independent of radius

• Directly proportional to the square of the radius

The concentration change (uptake) during a 10-second breath-hold in TLCO/DLCO testing reflects:

• Absorption, and is proportional to thickness of the alveolar membrane

• Diffusion, and is inversely proportional to thickness of the alveolar membrane

• Perfusion, and is proportional to thickness of the alveolar membrane

• Ventilation, and is inversely proportional to thickness of the alveolar membrane

Haemoglobin is approximately 90% saturated with oxygen at a PO2 of:

• 6 kPa

• 8 kPa

• 10 kPa

• 12 kPa

Carbon dioxide levels in a normal adult are tightly regulated by:

• Peripheral chemoreceptors

• Central chemoreceptors

• Baroreceptors

• Mechanoreceptors

Type 1 respiratory failure is characterized by:

• Low PaO2 and high PaCO2

• Low PaO2 and low/normal PaCO2

• Normal PaO2 and high PaCO2

• Normal PaO2 and low PaCO2