06/12/2023 Notes Flashcards
What organ system provides a means of gas exchange required by living cells?
Respiratory System
Respiratory and cardiovascular systems are _____.
Inseparable
What is the anatomical organization of the respiratory system?
Upper and lower respiratory tracts
What is the functional organization of the respiratory system?
Conducting and respiratory portions
What does the conducting portion of the respiratory system do?
Transport air
What does the respiratory portion of the respiratory system do?
Gas exchange in blood
What structures compose the conducting portion of respiratory system?
Nose, nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea, and progressively smaller airways (primary bronchi to terminal bronchioles)
What structures compose the respiratory portion of respiratory system?
Respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts, and alveoli
What are the functions of the respiratory system? (6)
Pulmonary ventilation (breathing)
Gas exchange
“Conditions” gasses before reaching the lungs
Sound production
Sense of smell
Protect the body from airborne infections
What are the two phases of pulmonary ventilation?
Inspiration (inhalation) which draws air into the lungs and expiration (exhalation) which forces air out
_____ diffuses into blood while _____ diffuses out the blood.
Oxygen; carbon dioxide
How is air conditioned before reaching the lungs?
Air is warmed to body temperature, humidified, and cleansed
What other structures aid in sound production beside the lungs and larynx?
Nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, teeth, lips, and tongue
What covers the superior region of the nasal cavity and aids in sense of smell?
Olfactory epithelium that detects inhaled molecules that dissolves in the mucus
How does the respiratory system protect the body against airborne infections?
Coarse hairs in the nose, twisted passageways that trap insects and microbes, and numerous cells that produce mucus and lysozymes
What does mucus do?
Trap inhaled dust, microbes, insects, and pollen
What are lysozymes?
Enzymes that destroyed microbial cell walls
What structures compose the upper respiratory tract?
Nose, nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, pharynx (throat), and associated structures
What is the main conducting pathway for inhaled air?
Nose
What are external nares?
Nostrils open on the inferior surface of the nose
What bones form the bridge of the nose and support the nose?
Nasal bones
Through internal nares, the nasal cavity is continuous with what?
Nasopharynx
What bones form the roof of the nasal cavity? (4)
frontal bones, nasal bones, cribriform plate, and sphenoid bone
What bones form the floor of the nasal cavity? (2)
Horizontal plate of maxillae and horizontal potions of the palatine bones
What is the area near the anterior region of the nasal cavity near the nostrils called?
Vestibule
What are the coarse hairs near the vestibule that trap large particles called?
Vibrissae
What does the mucus and ciliated epithelium in the nasal cavity do?
Move dust and debris towards the nasopharynx
What divides the nasal cavity into left and right portions?
Nasal septum
What 3 structures form the nasal septum?
Septal cartilage (anterior), perpendicular plate (superior), and vomer bone (posterior)
What is another name for turbinates that form the lateral walls of the nasal cavity?
Conchae
What do conchae do?
Create turbulence in inhaled air, which makes the air stay in the nasal cavity for a longer time to get warmed and humidified
The superior and middle nasal conchae are part of what bone? What about the inferior nasal conchae?
Superior and middle nasal conchae are part of the ethmoid while the inferior nasal conchae are independent bones
What do the paranasal sinuses do for the skull?
Reduce the weight of the skull
What are the four paranasal sinuses?
Frontal, ethmoidal, sphenoidal, and maxillary sinuses
What is the pharynx?
The throat is a common, funnel-shaped space used by both the respiratory and digestive system that is a common pathway for air and ingested foods
What do flexible lateral walls in the pharynx do?
Are distensible to force swallowed food into the esophagus
What are the 3 different regions found in the pharynx?
Nasopharynx, oropharynx, and laryngopharyx
What is the nasopharynx?
Superior region of the pharynx lined with ciliated epithelium that usually only allows the passage of air
What blocks food and drink from entering the nasopharynx?
Elevation of the soft palate and uvula
What connects the nasopharynx to the middle ear, and what is the purpose of it?
Auditory (eustachian) tubes help to equalize air pressure behind the eardrum
Where are adenoids located?
Pharyngeal tonsils are located in the posterior nasopharynx wall
What is the oropharynx?
Middle pharyngeal region that is a common respiratory and digestive pathway for both air and swallowed food/drink
What is found in the oropharynx that provide the first line of defense against ingest/inhaled foreign materials?
Lymphatic organs (palatine and lingual tonsils)
What is the laryngopharynx?
Inferior region of the pharynx that is continuous with the larynx and esophagus
Why is there only strong epithelium with no cilia in the oropharynx and laryngopharynx?
Permit the passage of swallowed food and drink
Where in the pharynx does food tend to get stuck and block breathing?
Laryngopharynx
What structures compose the lower respiratory tract?
Larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, and associated structures (conducting airways) and respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts, and alveoli (respiratory portion)
What is the larynx?
A short, cylindrical airway that prevents swallowed materials from entering lower respiratory tract, conducts air into lower respiratory tract, and produces sound
How many pieces of cartilage is found in the larynx that form the anterior and lateral walls?
9
What is the laryngeal prominence?
Adam’s apple that is stimulated by testosterone to grow larger and becomes more prominent in males after puberty
What is the cricoid cartilage?
Ring-shaped hyaline cartilage that forms the inferior base of the larynx and connects to the trachea inferiorly
What does the cricothyroid cartilage do?
Attach cricoid cartilage to inferior edge of the thyroid cartilage
Where is the cricothyroid cartilage found?
4 fingers above the sternal notch
What is a cricothyrotomy?
An emergency airway opened in the larynx by making an incision through the cricothyroid ligament with an initial vertical incision though the skin followed with a horizontal incision through the cricothyroid ligament
What is the large, spoon/leaf-shaped structure formed of elastic cartilage in the larynx called?
Epiglottis
What does the epiglottis do?
Closes the laryngeal opening while swallowing to prevent materials from entering the larynx
What happens to the epiglottis during and after swallowing?
During swallowing, the larynx elevates and moves forward while the epiglottis moves backwards to block the glottis, and afterwards everything moves back to its initial position
What are vestibular folds?
Superior ligaments (vestibular ligaments) and the mucous membrane covering them; also called False vocal cords since they have no function in sound production
What are true vocal cords?
Vocal ligaments (inferior ligaments) and the mucous membranes covering them that produce sound when air passes through
What is the opening between the vocal folds called?
Rima glottidis
What is the glottis?
Both the rima glottidis and vocal folds
What is affected by the length of vocal cords?
Range of voice
Longer vocal cords produce what sounds?
Lower sounds
What does testosterone do the the length of vocal cords?
Make vocal cords longer and thicker, which explains deeper voices
What is determined by tension/tautness on vocal cords?
Pitch/frequency of voice
What does increased tension on vocal cords do?
Make the vocal folds vibrate more when air passes by to produce a higher sound
What does the force of air passing across the vocal folds determine?
Loudness of voice
Only the _____ portion of the rima glottidis is open and the vocal cords do not vibrate during whispering.
Posterior
Whispering sounds all of the same _____.
pitch
What creates the “cracking” sound in a person’s voice during puberty?
Laryneal cartilages and vocal cords grow rapidly
Children have smaller _____ which produce higher sounds.
Vocal Cords
Recognizable speech requires the participation of what other structures?
Pharynx, nasal and oral cavities, paranasal sinuses, lips, and tongue
