Confo (Autosaved)

RESPIRATORY PROTECTIVE
REFLEXES AND THEIR

ALTERATION IN DIFFERENT
ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS
What are Protective reflexes ?
Reflexes protect our body from things that can harm
it. For example, if you put your hand on a hot stove,
a reflex causes you to immediately remove your
hand before a "Hey, this is hot!" message even gets
to your brain.
Other protective reflexes are blinking when
something flies toward eyes, coughing
and sneezing are reflexes that clear the airways from
irritating things and known as respiratory protective
reflexes
What are respiratory protective reflexes?
Respiratory protective reflexes are the reflexes

that protect lungs and air passage from
foreign particles. Respiratory process is
modified by these reflexes in order to
eliminate the foreign particles or to prevent
the entry of these particles into the
respiratory tract.
Physiological
anatomy of
respiratory
tract
CHONCHAE
Respiratory Protective Reflexes
• Cough reflex (due to irritation of
respiratory tract and some areas such as
external auditory canal)
causes : mainly by irritant agents
:due to cardiac disorder
pulmonary disorder which exerts
pressure on larynx, trachea,bronchi
or lungs
Mechanism of cough reflex
Cough begins with deep inspiration followed by

forced expiration with closed glottis. This increases
the intrapleural pressure above 100 mm Hg. Then,
glottis opens suddenly with explosive outflow of air
at a high velocity. Velocity of the airflow may reach
960 km/hour.It causes expulsion of irritant
substances out of the respiratory tract.
Reflex pathway
Receptors that initiate the
cough are situated in several
locations such as nose,
paranasal sinuses, larynx,
pharynx, trachea, bronchi,
pleura,
diaphragm,pericardium,
stomach, external auditory
canal and tympanic
membrane. Afferent nerve
fibers pass via vagus,
trigeminal, glossopharyngeal
and phrenic nerves. The
center for cough reflex is in
the medulla oblongata.
Efferent nerve fibers
arising from the
medullary center pass
through the vagus,
phrenic and spinal
motor nerves. These
•Vagus nerve
•Pherenic
nerve fibers activate the
nerve primary and accessory
•Spinal motor
nerve respiratory muscles.
• Sneezing reflex(dueto irritation of nasal mucosa)
causes :dust particles,debris mechanical
obstruction
Mechanism
Sneezing starts with deep inspiration, followed by
forceful expiratory effort with opened glottis
resulting in expulsion of irritant agents out of
respiratory tract.
Reflex pathway
Sneezing is initiated by the
irritation of nasal mucous
membrane, the olfactory
receptors and trigeminal
nerve endings present in the
nasal mucosa. Afferent nerve
fibers pass through the
trigeminal and olfactory
nerves. Sneezing center is in
medulla oblongata. It is
located diffusely in spinal
nucleus of trigeminal nerve,
nucleus solitarius and the
reticular formation of
medulla.
Efferent nerve fibers from
the medullary center
pass via trigeminal, facial,
glossopharyngeal, vagus
and intercostal nerves.
These nerve fibers
activate the pharyngeal,
tracheal and respiratory
muscles.
Sniff reflex : Mechanical stimulation of pharyngeal mucosa evokes
the sniff reflex characterized by rapid and strong inspiratory efforts not
followed by active expiration.
Relation between sniff and normal breathing
• The extent of the inspiratory dilation of the glottis and the timing
and range of late-inspiratory and/or postinspiratory glottal
narrowing modulate the depth of aspiration. Thus, the inhalation
can be moderate as in sniffing, which provides a transfer of odorants
to the olfactory mucosa. In AR the airstream is presumably strong
enough to tear off the mechanical particles from the naso- and
oropharynx and to convey them into the hypopharynx to allow their
subsequent elimination by reflex swallowing or coughing. Prolonged
glottal opening allows either the transfer of some additional air to
the bronchi by sighing to prevent the development of atelectasis, or
redistribution of a larger amount of fresh air into the lungs by
gasping to support autoresuscitation.
• Diving Reflex : Complex cardio-vascular respiratory
response to immersion, that is activated when our face is
cooled
Mechanism
The diving reflex is a clever physiological mechanism enabling the body
to manage and tolerate a lower level of oxygen.
Three main changes occur in the body:
• Bradycardia, a slowing of the heart rate. The human heart rate slows
down 10 – 30% and up to 50% or more in trained individuals.
• Peripheral vasoconstriction (a narrowing of blood vessels to reduce
blood flow by muscle contraction in the blood vessel’s wall), causes
reduced blood flow to the limbs ensuring that oxygen-sensitive organs
like the brain and heart receive oxygen.
• During deep dives, a blood shift occurs allowing blood plasma
and water to pass through organs and circulatory walls to the chest
cavity to protect the organs from the increase in pressure. The lungs
gradually fill up with blood plasma, which is reabsorbed when
pressure drops.
Some other Reflexes
• Swallowing reflex : for preventing entry of food particle in respiratory tract
Mechanism
While swallowing of the food, the respiration is arrested
for a while. Temporary arrest of respiration is called
apnea. Arrest of breathing during swallowing is called
swallowing apnea or deglutition apnea. It takes place
during pharyngeal stage, i.e. second stage of deglutition
and prevents entry of food particles into the respiratory
tract
Deglutition or swallowing is the process by which food
moves from mouth into stomach.
Stages of Deglutition
Deglutition occurs in three stages:
I. Oral stage, when food moves from mouth to
pharynx
II. Pharyngeal stage, when food moves from
pharynx to esophagus
III. Esophageal stage, when food moves from
esophagus to stomach.
Hiccup reflex
When a hiccup forms, it is because of a
sudden, involuntary contraction of the
diaphragm at the same time as a contraction
of the voice box, or larynx, and a total closure
of the glottis. This results in a sudden rush of
air into the lungs, and the familiar "hic" sound
produced
Hiccup is triggered by
• Ate Hot or spicy food that irritates the phrenic
nerve, which is near the esophagus
• Eating too much food too fastly
1. Which part of central nervous system is the
main center of control of respiratory
protective reflexes?
a) Vermis
b) Pons
c) Medulla oblongata
d) Corpus callosum

Confo (Autosaved)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Confo (Autosaved)

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Confo (Autosaved)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

RESPIRATORY PROTECTIVE

REFLEXES AND THEIR

Respiratory protective reflexes are the reflexes

Cough begins with deep inspiration followed by

You might also like