Understanding Mucociliary Clearance in Lung Epithelium

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

What is the function of the airways in the respiratory system?

Filtering carbon dioxide

Absorbing oxygen

Producing red blood cells

Transporting air (correct)

How are foreign particles cleared from the airways?

By diffusion into the alveoli

By attaching to red blood cells

By being coughed out or carried upward by small hairs (correct)

By converting into oxygen

What is the purpose of respiratory gas conditioning?

Adding more foreign particles

Filtering out oxygen

Cooling the respiratory gas

Warming, humidifying, and purifying the respiratory gas (correct)

Why is artificial respiratory humidification important for mechanically ventilated patients?

To prevent lung damage and infections Signup and view all the answers

Which mechanism removes large foreign particles from the airways?

Coughing Signup and view all the answers

What consequence may occur if natural respiratory humidification fails in the body?

Pulmonic infections and lung tissue damage Signup and view all the answers

What is the percentage of respiratory gas conditioning that takes place in the upper respiratory tract in a healthy person?

75% Signup and view all the answers

How does the warming of breathing air occur in the upper respiratory tract?

Via small blood vessels in the nasal and oral mucous membrane Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the mucous membranes during exhalation in a healthy adult person?

They cool down Signup and view all the answers

Why is humidification necessary during invasive mechanical ventilation?

To prevent bronchospasm Signup and view all the answers

What can occur if the upper airway is bypassed during invasive mechanical ventilation?

Thickening of airway secretions leading to ET tube occlusion Signup and view all the answers

During inspiration, what do well-vascularized mucous membranes inside the nose and mouth release to the passing respiratory gas?

Moisture Signup and view all the answers

What is the main function of mucociliary clearance in the lung epithelium?

To clear respiratory pathogens Signup and view all the answers

Which component of the airways is responsible for propelling the fluid and mucus layer from distal to proximal lung airways?

Cilia Signup and view all the answers

What can happen if mucociliary clearance is impaired in the airways?

Formation of plaques and plugs in the airways Signup and view all the answers

Which part of the respiratory system has a higher number of ciliated cells?

Upper airways Signup and view all the answers

What kind of defects can impair mucociliary clearance in the airways?

Congenital or acquired defects in ciliary function Signup and view all the answers

Besides mucus secretion by the epithelium, what else helps in maintaining proper mucociliary clearance in the proximal airways?

Presence of submucosal glands secreting fluid and mucus Signup and view all the answers