Airway Physiology

Abstract

An understanding of airway physiology is important for the anesthesiologist, tasked with supporting the patient's respiratory functions which are altered in the conduct of anesthesia and surgery, or which may be abnormal due to co-existing disease. Airflow and airway resistance, lung compliance, spirometric values, flow-volume measurements, work of breathing, ventilation-perfusion matching, and oxygen-carbon dioxide transport are some of the basic principles. Clinical application of physiology allows the anesthesiologist to anticipate and manage changes that may occur when anesthetizing the patient, altering position or manipulating the airway. This review contains 5 tables, and 25 references. Keywords: Ohm’s law, laminar vs turbulent flow, Reynold’s number, Heliox, Bernoulli’s principle, compliance vs elasticity, Law of Laplace, spirometry, dead space, hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction