Pulmonary changes during exercise
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Pulmonary changes during exercise
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Questions
USMLE® Step 1 style questions USMLE
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A researcher is studying the effects of exercise on a healthy human subject. The study participant is instructed to run on a treadmill, and various physiologic parameters will be studied. Which of the following physiologic parameters is most likely to be decreased in this subject several minutes after initiating exercise?
Summary
During exercise, the body's demand for the oxygen needed in cellular respiration increases, and this requires the body to do some adjustments. The cardiac output and pulmonary blood flow increase, while the pulmonary vascular resistance decreases. The result is an increased space of the lung that is perfused, which decreases physiologic dead space and increases oxygen delivery to exercising tissues. Furthermore, due to an increase in acid production and temperature, the hemoglobin's affinity for oxygen decreases, which favors the delivery of oxygen to tissue in need.