SCHOOL OF BREATHING SCIENCES
105 Breathing & Homeostasis
Enzymatic reactions essential to body functioning require pH to be within specific and narrow limits. This course will over: pH – how it is derived; Acid and Bases – definitions, the Henderson-Hasselbach equation as it is used to determine extracellular pH; Buffers – their definition, their roles; Buffer systems – protein, intracellular bone, bicarbonate, hemoglobin, and phosphate buffer systems; Bicarbonate buffer system – the conversion of carbonic acid to bicarbonate, the role of CO2; Kidney physiology – how the kidneys and lungs work together to maintain pH; Respiratory pH regulation – the role of breathing in causing electrolyte imbalances and in restoring pH balance; Oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve – what is it, how is it influenced, and what does it mean about O2 delivery? Alkalemia and acidemia – metabolic and respiratory, how they occur.