changes of circulatory and respiratory system during strenuous activity and high altitude

1. CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
AND RESPIRATORY
SYSTEM
NORLI FAUZANI BT
MOHD ABU HASSAN
ALSHARI
116668

2. a) Changes in circulatory &
respiratory system when climbing
the mountain.

Circulatory system serves 5 important
functions during strenuous activity :
- deliver oxygen to working muscles
- oxygenates blood by returning it to the lungs
- transport heat from the core to the skin
- delivers nutrients and fuel to active tissues
- transports hormones

3. 
Changes in circulatory system:
•
•
•
Response of circulatory system to activity is
directly proportional to the skeletal muscle oxygen
demands for any rate of work.
Increasing rate of work will increase the oxygen
demand by the muscle.
Increasing oxygen demand lead to increasing in
metabolic process and increase in body
temperature.

4. 
•
Immediate response to strenuous activity that take
place in circulatory system.
Cardiac output
•
•
•
•
•
Is the amount of blood pumped by the heart per
minute.
It is the product of stroke volume and heart rate
If either stroke volume or heart rate increases, the
cardiac output also increases.
Cardiac output plays important role in meeting oxygen
demands for exercise.
Rate of activity/exercise increase, cardiac output
increases to meet the increasing oxygen demand.

5. •
Blood flow
•
•
•
•
•
The vascular system can redistribute blood to
those tissue with greatest immediate demand and
away from areas that have less demand of
oxygen.
At rest, blood supplied to skeletal muscle is only
15-20%
During strenuous activity, blood supplied
increases to 80-85% of cardiac output.
Blood is shunted away from major organs
(kidneys, liver, stomach, intestines)
It is then radiated to the skin to promote heat
transfer.

6. •
Blood pressure
•
•
•
At rest, systolic blood pressure (pressure during
contraction of heart) ranges from 110-140 mmHg
and 60-90 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure.
During strenuous activity, systolic blood pressure
can increase to over 200 mmHg.
Diastolic blood pressure remains relatively
unchanged regardless the intensity of the activity.

7. 
Changes in respiratory system:
•
Pulmonary ventilation increases almost
immediately.
•
•
•
•
Through stimulation of respiratory centers in the brain
stem from motor cortex and
Through feedback from proprioceptors in the muscles
and joints of the active limbs.
During prolonged exercise, increase in carbon
dioxide production, hydrogen ions, body and
blood temperature stimulate increases in
pulmonary ventilation.
At higher work intensities, the respiratory rate

8. •
•
In untrained adults, pulmonary ventilation rates
can vary from about 10 liters per minute at rest
until 100 liters per minute at maximal rates of
works.
In trained male adults, pulmonary ventilation rates
can reach more than 200 liters per minute at
maximal rates of work.

9. b) Changes in circulatory &
respiratory at the highest peak
(high altitude).



Maximal oxygen consumption reduced at
altitudes greater than 1500 meters and could
harm the performance of endurance activities.
As altitude increases, barometric pressure
decreases, and the partial pressure of inhaled
oxygen is also decreases.
Decreased partial pressure of oxygen reduces
the driving force to take in oxygen from air to
blood and from blood to muscle.

10. c) Symptoms and treatments of
hypoxia.



Hypoxia refers to low concentration of oxygen
in the body or body part.
The condition arises from a mismatch between
the amount of oxygen demanded by the body
and the amount of oxygenated blood that is
supplied.
Symptoms of hypoxia are :
•
•
•
•
•
Headaches
Fatigue
Breathlessness or shortness of breath.
Heart beat rapidly in initial phases of hypoxia
Raised in blood pressure in the initial phases of

11. •
•
•
•
•
•
Nausea and vomiting
Cyanosis:- a condition where the tips of the
fingers, toes, ears and nose become cold and
turn bluish
- cyanosis arises because blood that is low in
oxygen is a dark bluish-red colour that can
change the appearance of the skin.
Euphoria
Confusion
Memory loss and cognitive problems.
Disorientation and uncoordinated movement

12. •
•
•
Severe hypoxia can lead to loss of conciousness,
seizures or convulsions, coma and even death.
Breathing also may become slow and shallow.
The pupils of the eyes may not be responsive
when light is shone on them.

13. 
Treatments :- the hypoxia treatment is depend
on the severity of the hypoxia.
- hypoxia can quickly escalate in severity, it is
important to attempt treatment immediately
after diagnosis.
- it is important to maintain the breathing rate.
•
Administer oxygen to the patient by using oxygen
delivery devices.

This method of treatment will increases the
concentration of oxygen being inhaled which
increases the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood
and corrects hypoxia.

14. Would it make any difference if the
climber is a female?



Size of females lungs smaller than males and
have smaller heart size and smaller blood
vessels.
Females have narrower airways which make it
hard for air to move in and out of the lungs.
During strenuous activity, the amount of breath
of females are only 120 liters per minute while
males are 240 liters per minute.