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Structure and Function of the Respiratory System Evaluate the presence and effects of alteration in the homeostatic state secondary to gender,
genetic, ethnic and temporal variables
Select one of the case studies below, and include in your discussion an evaluation of
the presence and effects of alteration in the homeostatic state secondary to gender,
genetic, ethnic, and temporal variables.
Requirements:
1. Make sure all of the topics in the case study have been addressed.
2. Cite at least three sources; journal articles, textbooks or evidenced-based websites
to support the content.
3. All sources must be within 5 years.
4. Do not use .com, Wikipedia, or up-to-date, etc., for your sources.
5. please have a minimum of 4 pages of content not including references
Case Study 1
Structure and Function of the Respiratory System
Brad is 45 years old and has been working as a coal cutter in a mine for the last 25 years.
He likes the job because it pays well and the same mine had employed his father. Like many
of his colleagues, Brad has had problems with a chronic cough. He has avoided his annual
checkups for fear that he will be told he has “black lung,” or coal worker’s pneumoconiosis.
The disease causes fibrosis, decreased diffusing capacity, and permanent small airway
dilation. In later stages, pulmonary capillaries, alveoli, and airways are destroyed.
1. How can the disease described above create a mismatch between ventilation and
perfusi

on? Use your understanding of alveolar dead space and physiologic shunt to
explain your answer.
2. Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have more difficulty exhaling
than inhaling. Why is this so?
3. In general terms, what mechanisms in lung disease can affect diffusing capacity
across alveolar membranes? Use the Fick law to explain your answer. Answer Preview…………………..A mismatch between ventilation and perfusion. Chronic lung disease can potentially lead in both perfusion and pulmonary ventilation especially when alveolar and circulatory tissues are damaged (Levitzky, 2013). In respiratory physiology, the V/Q ratio ventilation/perfusion ratio is relied upon to measure the adequacy and efficiency of the two variables which are matching. Ventilation (V) referring to the air reaching the alveoli and perfusion (Q) being the blood reaching the alveoli through the capillaries (Porth, 2015). Hence, the V/Q ratio refers to the ratio of the quantity of air that reaches the alveoli per minute to the volume of blood that reaches the alveoli per minute. The V/Q is a ratio of volumetric rates of flow. The two variables, V and Q, comprise of the main determinants of blood carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxygen (O2) concentration. A ventilation/perfusion scan can be used to measure the V/Q ratio. In most cases, the V/Q mismatch leads to type 1 respiratory failure (Kaneko, 2014)…………………APA 1109 words
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