Analysis of Respiratory Physiology Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Respiratory Physiology - Lab Report Example   The necessity of breathing is well established in science. The significance of this act is well known to all. Without it any person is unable to live. This underlines the importance of the study of the respiratory physiology. Every medical professional, whether he is involved in internal medicine, surgery or even psychiatry has to have the basics of respiratory physiology. From the basic concept of gas exchange and its movement into the blood to the complex aerobic metabolism in the mitochondria and the excretion of the metabolic by-products, all of these hold an importance for a physician providing clinical care to patients. Respiratory physiology revolves around the respiratory system mainly, especially the lungs and bronchus. However without the support of musculoskeletal and nervous system lungs are unable to carry their function. The control of this process depends on a variety of factors which are spread out across different specialties (Schwartzstein & Parker, 2005). Diffe rent authors have reported different factors in different books and research articles. As Guyton and Hall, (2010) explain in their book that the different factors regulate each and every step of breathing which in turn are further regulated by the higher centers. Neural and chemical control is the highlight of this control. Breathing rate itself depends on the partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Along with this the rate at which the alveolar air is removed from the lungs also affects the rate of breathing. On the other hand separate factors affect the diffusion of gas across respiratory membrane. These factors include the thickness and the surface area of the membrane and the diffusion coefficient of the gas. Among these factors there are some factors which can be controlled. However some factors are fixed and variability isn’t possible. Secondly the measurement of lung volume is also very significant. The lung volume has different components which need to be addre ssed. Inspiratory reserve volume (IRV), expiratory reserve volume (ERV), tidal volume (TV), residual volume (RV), inspiratory vital capacity (ITC), functional residual capacity (FRC), inspiratory capacity (IC) and total lung capacity (TLC) are the different static lung volumes (shown in figure -1). Their main use lies in the detection, characterization and quantification of the severity of any respiratory disease (Wanger et al., 2005). They also play an important part in the assessment of the prognosis and treatment of a respiratory disorder. TV = 0.644 L IRV = 1.615 L ERV = 1.079 L IC = 2.259 L FRC = 2.279 L VC = 3.338 L TLC = 4.538 L Figure – 1: Subdivisions of static lung capacity This lab report comprises of three different experiments, all done with the intention of investigating about respiratory physiology. The aim of the study revolves around the quest of the finding of different factors which regulate breathing, their respective effects, and their significance.  Ã‚