altered breathing patterns

Examples of altered breathing patterns in the following topics:

• Breathing Patterns

  • Breathing patterns refer to the respiratory rate, which is defined as the frequency of breaths over a period of time, as well as the amount of air cycled during breathing (tidal volume).
  • Breathing patterns are an important diagnostic criteria for many diseases, including some which involve more than the respiratory system itself.
  • Some of the more common terms for altered breathing patterns include:
  • These terms all describe an altered breathing pattern through increased or decreased (or stopped) tidal volume or respiratory rate.
  • It is important to distinguish these terms from hyperventilation and hypoventilation, which refer to abnormalities in alveolar gas exchange (and thus blood pH) instead of an altered breathing pattern, but they may be associated with an altered breathing pattern.

• Aging and the Respiratory System

  • In mammals, breathing in is due to a flattening of the diaphragm and lung expansion.
  • This is a quiet, relaxed breathing state, requiring little energy.
  • Speech depends on the balance between the two forms of breathing.
  • In humans, conscious change often modifies autonomous reaction to need, a pattern that can vary due to things like fear or anxiety, loss of lung elasticity (due to aging), pulmonary diseases such as emphysema , or abdominal expansion from obesity.
  • Describe the alterations to the respiratory system that occur with aging

• Regulation of H+ by the Lungs

  • Acid-base imbalances in blood pH can be altered by changes in breathing to expel more CO2, which will raise pH back to normal.
  • This alters the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood, shifting the above reaction according to Le Chatelier's principle, which in turn alters the pH.
  • When blood pH drops too low (acidemia), the body compensates by increasing breathing thereby expelling CO2, shifting the above reaction to the left such that less hydrogen ions are free; thus the pH will rise back to normal.
  • When blood pH drops too low, the body compensates by increasing breathing to expel more carbon dioxide.

• Absorption of Alcohol

  • Post-operative gastric bypass patients develop a lowered tolerance for alcoholic beverages because their altered digestive tract absorbs alcohol at a faster rate than people who have not undergone the surgery.
  • In a study conducted on 36 post-operative patients and a control group of 36 subjects (who had not undergone surgery), each subject drank a 5 oz. glass of red wine and had the alcohol in their breath measured to evaluate alcohol metabolism.
  • It took on average 108 minutes for the gastric bypass patients group to return to an alcohol breath of zero, while it took the control group an average of 72 minutes.
  • The remainder of the alcohol is eliminated through excretion in breath, urine, sweat, feces, milk and saliva.
  • Combining the reports of quantity and frequency of alcohol intake, a consumption pattern that reflected frequent intake (5-7 days/week) of any given amount of alcohol was associated with a decreased risk, as compared with nondrinkers.

• Adjustments of the Infant at Birth

  • Perfusing its body by breathing independently instead of utilizing placental oxygen is the first challenge of a newborn.
  • This triggers it to take the first breath within about 10 seconds of delivery.
  • This change in the pattern of flow results in a drop in blood flow across the ductus arteriosus.
  • All of these cardiovascular system changes result in the adaptation from fetal circulation patterns to an adult circulation pattern.
  • At this point, rhythmic breathing movements also commence.

• Neural Mechanisms (Respiratory Center)

  • The medulla and the pons are involved in the regulation of the ventilatory pattern of respiration.
  • Breathing is required to sustain life, so involuntary respiration allows it to happen when voluntary respiration is not possible, such as during sleep.
  • Its main function is to send signals to the muscles that control respiration to cause breathing to occur.
  • The apneustic center sends signals for inspiration for long and deep breaths.
  • It controls the intensity of breathing and is inhibited by the stretch receptors of the pulmonary muscles at maximum depth of inspiration, or by signals from the pnuemotaxic center.

• Reticular Formation

  • Other motor nuclei include gaze centers, which enable the eyes to track and fixate objects, and central pattern generators, which produce rhythmic signals to the muscles of breathing and swallowing.
  • Mass lesions in the brainstem cause severe alterations in the level of consciousness (such as coma) because of their effects on the reticular formation.

• Pulmonary Edema

  • The overwhelming symptom of pulmonary edema is difficulty breathing, but may also include coughing up blood, excessive sweating, anxiety, and pale skin.
  • Shortness of breath and/or paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea also happen.
  • Other signs include end-inspiratory crackles (sounds heard at the end of a deep breath) on auscultation and the presence of a third heart sound.
  • Indeed, in many cases, the cause of shortness of breath is probably multifactorial.
  • Chest X-ray will show fluid in the alveolar walls, Kerley B lines, increased vascular shadowing in a classical batwing peri-hilum pattern, upper lobe diversion (increased blood flow to the superior parts of the lung), and possibly pleural effusions as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

• Expiration

  • The pathway for exhalation is the movement of air out of the conducting zone, to the external environment during breathing.
  • The pleural cavity is so important to breathing because it's pressure changes the volume of the lungs, and it provides a friction-less space for the lung to expand and contract against during breathing.
  • Examples include breathing during sleep or meditation.
  • Changes in breathing patterns may also occur for metabolic reasons, such as through increased breathing rate in people with acidosis from negative feedback.

• Larynx

  • The larynx is an organ in the neck involved in breathing, sound production, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration.
  • The larynx (plural: larynges), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of humans and most animals that is involved in breathing, sound production, coughing, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration during eating.
  • During breathing the folds remain open, but they close during swallowing or phonation.
  • The vagus nerves innervate the larynx and signal the muscles and paired cartilage (the arytenoid) of the larynx to work together to open and close the vocal folds as well as change their length and tension to alter pitch.
  • Finally, the larynx can be signaled to open its folds wider than usual to increase the flow of air into and out of the lungs during heavy breathing when the body requires more oxygen.