Reflective Learning Submission Template - Essay Example

?Today’s Your number Your email PARA1006 Topic section four Marc Colbeck Apart from the assigned reading, I also referenced the following sources to learn about this section. The ones I found most useful (that I would recommend to others) are marked with an asterisk (*) 1. *Boiselle, P.M. and Lynch, D.A. (2008). CT of the Airways. Totowa, New Jersey: Humana Press. 2. Freitas Jr., R A. (1996-1999). A Mechanical Artificial Red Cell: Exploratory Design in Medical Nanotechnology. Palo Alto, California: Foresight Institute. 3. *Hlastala, MP and Berger, AJ. (2001). Physiology of respiration. Washington, DC: Oxford University Press. The most interesting thing I read for this session was: 1. Hyperventilation causes light-headedness, fainting, dizziness and headache not due to lack of oxygen but due to lesser than normal level of carbon dioxide in blood. The reduction in CO2 increases the pH levels of the blood and the increased alkalinity causes constriction of blood vessels lowering transmission of oxygen to the brain and nervous system. 2. The oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve is interesting to study about because it demonstrates how even if the partial pressure of oxygen in the arterial blood is reduced perhaps due to altitude or lung infection, the haemoglobin saturation is not adversely affected as the curve becomes flatter. 3. An average adult person can breathe in about 13000 litres of air in a day assuming that there are about 15 breaths in a minute each intake being about 500-700mL. Three main things I learned from this session were:   1. The process of respiration occurs with the inhalation of atmospheric air carrying 21% oxygen and the transport of oxygen from the nares, to the nasal cavity, larynx, pharynx, trachea, bronchus to the brochioles and alveoli. There the diffusion of oxygen takes place across the alveolar epithelia and into the blood capillaries. The red blood cells flowing through the adjacent capillaries release CO2 into the alveoli through diffusion and bind oxygen. This results in a change in the colour of the blood- purplish red, when it is in deoxygenated state, to bright red in oxygenated state. The oxygenated blood is circulated throughout the body while the CO2 is passed out of the lungs and out of the body. 2. Our bodies use oxygen to produce high energy molecules like ATP and NADH through the process of respiratory chain reaction and oxidative phosphorylation pathways, for use in the body’s chemical and physiological activities. The blood carries the oxygen along with other nutrients to other parts of the body and carries back the carbon dioxide to be sent out by the lungs. The heart is of vital importance here since the blood is pumped throughout the body by the heart. 3. Lung disorders could be caused due to increased resistance as in the case of bronchospasm, mucous production and swelling causing diseases like asthma and anaphylaxis or due to decreased compliance that cause chest wall restriction and fluid build up resulting in diseases like fibrosis, pneumonia and pulmonary edema. Previously, I thought the following were true, but I learned that they aren’t:   1. Only oxygen needs to be present in oxygen tanks: Oxygen tanks require the presence of other gases than oxygen because our bodies need the partial pressure of the oxygen to be influenced by the presence of other gases like nitrogen and carbon dioxide since our bodies are acclimatized to it. Divers suffer from bends under high water pressure while diving deep inside caves. To avoid this situation a mixture of gases is used in oxygen tanks of divers. 2. I used to think that fast breathing like when panting after a brisk walk or run is better but it is not true because, the bigger the breath, the better it is for the body. Greater lung capacity means better circulation and greater metabolic efficiency. 3. Heart rates differ because of the presence of chemicals, autonomic reasons and other factors. This is interesting to note because the rates are then different for men, women and people of different ages and for those undergoing different emotions. I thought we would have/should have covered this topic, but we didn’t:   1. Roles of cilia, mucous membrane and epiglottis during the intake of air because air is filtered by the cilia present in the nasal cavity, moistened by the mucous membranes and warmed by the blood before it passes down the throat. Epiglottis covers the larynx so that the food does not enter the air passage during eating. 2. Role of the cartilage ring of the trachea is important because the cartilage ring prevents the trachea from collapsing under pressure. I found this new or surprising: 1. Alveolar sacs have a millions of single layered alveolar cells surrounded by capillaries for the oxygenated air to diffuse into the bed of capillaries through the alveolar and capillary epithelium. 2. Each molecule of haemoglobin can carry up to four oxygen units which means that about 602 X 1018 molecules of oxygen can be carried in 100mL of blood. 3. Higher saturation of oxygen at given partial pressure can cause the remaining oxygen to travel back with the haemoglobin without being used causing tissue hypoxia. Some things I have changed my mind about, as a result of this topic are: 1. Break in trachea is not easily achieved as there are thick neck muscles to protect it. Strangulation occurs more often due to constriction of wind pipes and not due to rupture of trachea. Some things I learned in this topic that I may be able to use in future are: 1. Each blood cell contains 280 million haemoglobin molecules, each one carrying four haeme groups capable of binding with four oxygen units. The bright red colour of our arterial blood is due to the oxygenated haeme groups. 2. Mechanical respirocytes have immense potential for use in future. They can possibly eliminate the need to depend on blood donors. I am still unsure about 1. Active exhalation versus passive exhalation 2. Electrolyte imbalance causing increased contractility of heart muscle. Issues that interested me a lot, and that I would like to study in more detail are: 1. How the respiratory centre located on the medulla oblongata and pons control the breathing by checking on the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. What is interesting is that the area of the brain controlling this autonomic exercise is the same as that takes care of our heart and actions like sneezing and coughing. I’d like to study more about the chemoreceptors that help in regulating the oxygen levels in blood. 2. The idea of mechanical respirocytes is very interesting and I would like to study about this more in depth as it has the potential for becoming substitutes for blood cells. This will be a breakthrough for people with rare blood conditions and in war affected areas where blood banks are less in number. Things I most liked about this session (things to keep) were...   1. The way in which the process of breathing has been explained- the contracting external intercostal muscles, diaphragm and expanding rib cage during inspiration to reduce the air pressure in the chest cavity to draw in more air and the reverse during expiration. 2. The use of the tap and pipe diagram to illustrate blood pressure during preload and afterload. Things I most disliked about this session (things to change) were...   1. I did not dislike anything in this session, as everything was interesting. However, I would like to know more about how to recognise the different kinds of shocks, their cause and treatments. For example, it will be dangerous to confuse septic shock for anaphylactic shock. Miscellaneous interesting facts I learned in this session...   Smoking can lead to chronic bronchitis, emphysema and COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease because the carbon monoxide produced by burning cigarettes has 200% greater affinity to haemoglobin than oxygen. These molecules can bind with haemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin and prevent them from binding with oxygen. When this is carried out for prolonged periods, it may result in tissue damage or even death, if the source of carbon monoxide and the victim are present inside a closed room. The incidence of sudden infant death syndrome or “cot death” can be linked to smoking habit in pregnant mothers as one of the prenatal risks of SIDS. Read More