As I’ve been doing lately, I wanted to offer the opportunity to my students (and anyone else who would like to) to submit questions for the Respiratory Unit Exam of my Pathophysiology class. Topics covered on this exam will focus primarily on the outline below. However, I wish to remind students that they are responsible for all the material covered in chapters 21-23 of Porth’s Essentials of Pathophysiology.

Airways preserved in the right lung, airways and pulmonary circulation in the left lung.

To submit questions, please provide a fully worked out multiple choice question in the comments section below. Also indicate the correct answer.

Respiratory Pathophysiology Outline (Please, forgive the formatting below, I’m having trouble fixing this appropriately in the browser):

1. Control of Respiratory Function
   1. Conducting Airways
      1. Nasopharynx
      2. Larynx

• Trachea

1. Bronchial Tree (Primary -> Terminal)

1. Respiratory Tissue (Acini)
   1. Respiratory Bronchiole
   2. Alveoli
      1. Type I, Type II Alveolar Cells and Alveolar macrophages
   3. Pulmonary (And Bronchial) Circulation
   4. Pleura
   5. Ventilation and the Mechanics of Breathing
      1. Chest Cage and Respiratory Muscles
      2. Lung Compliance
   6. Lung Volumes and Capacities
      1. Total Lung Capacity
      2. Tidal Volume

• Etc.

1. Diffusion according to Fick’s Law
2. Oxygen Delivery
   1. Oxygen / Globin Dissociation Curves
3. Infections
   1. The Common Cold
      1. Caused by a number of different viruses
      2. A number of different serotypes
   2. Influenza
      1. One of the most deadly uncontrolled human infections
      2. Three types of influenza (A,B, and C – A is most diverse)
         1. Influenza A
            1. Distinguished by serotypes based on H&N genes

• Three types of infections
  1. Uncomplicated upper respiratory disease
  2. Viral Pneumonia
  3. Viral Pneumonia + Bacterial Pneumonia

1. Pneumonia
   1. Typical*
      1. Bacterial ( pneumoniae)
   2. Atypical*
      1. Viral (Influenza, Chickenpox), Fungal, protozoan

• Legionnaire’s Disease
  1. (I find that pneumonia caused by Legionella is placed as either typical or atypical depending on the source)

1. Fungal Infections
2. Tuberculosis
   1. Diagnosis
   2. Treatment
3. Congenital and Acquired Obstructive Disorders
   1. CF
   2. Asthma
   3. COPD
   4. Pulmonary Hypertension – causes and outcomes

*The distinction between Typical and Atypical pneumonia appears to be more historic than clinically valuable. For this reason, on our exam we will continue to call S. pneumoniae the most common form of ‘Typical’ pneumonia, but otherwise not use these terms.