2. Respiratory system Flashcards
What Is the most important body process?
Breathing is the most important body process
What is the purpose of breathing?
The purpose of breathing is to inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide
What is the name of the breathing body process?
The respiratory system is the breathing process
What would happen without the exchange of gasses?
Without the exchange of gasses you would die
What is the role of the lungs?
The lungs deliver oxygen for cellular respiration and excrete carbon dioxide
What is breathing?
Breathing is bringing in oxygen and letting carbon dioxide out
When does breathing begin?
Breathing begins when you breath in through your nose or mouth
Where is the air warmed and filtered?
Air is warmed and filtered by tiny hairs called cilia and sticky mucus in your nose
What do the cilia do?
Cilia trap dirt and particles and either push them back though the nose (boogers) or digest them
Where does the air travel after your nose?
Air travels down the pharynx, past the epiglottis and through your larynx
What is the larynx?
Larynx is your voice box
What produces sound in the larynx?
The larynx has cords which vibrate as air passes through them, which makes sound.
Where does air go after the larynx?
After the larynx the air goes down your trachea
Where can you feel your trachea?
Your trachea is the bumps you feel on the front of your neck
What makes the bumps in your trachea?
the trachea bumps are cartilage which is flexible but helps to maintain the shape, like a vacuum hose.
At the base of the trachea, what are the two tubes called?
The trachea splits into the two bronchi (singular I bronchus)
Where does air go after the bronchi?
After the bronchi, air goes into your lungs
What do bronchi branch into?
Bronchi branch into bronchioles
What are the tiny thin walled sacs called
Bronchioles branch into tiny sacs called alveoli
How many alveoli are there?
there are millions of alveoli
What happens in the alveoli?
Gas exchange happens in the alveoli
What surrounds each alveolus?
Thousands of capillaries surround each alveolus
What do alveoli look like?
Alveoli look like bunches of grapes
Where do the respiratory and the circulatory systems interact?
In the alveoli, the respiratory and the circulatory systems interact
What comes from the capillaries surrounding the alveoli?
De-oxygenated blood comes from the capillaries around the alveoli
Which way does diffusion work in the alveoli?
Oxygen diffuses into the blood, and carbon dioxide diffuses out of the blood in the alveoli walls.
What happens to the blood once it is full of oxygen from the lungs?
From the lungs, blood is pumped back up into the heart and then to the body
What is this whole process called?
The process of getting oxygen and getting rid of carbon dioxide is called gas exchange
What are two diseases that occur from smoking.
Cancer and emphysema are caused by smoking tobacco
What is emphysema?
Emphysema is when the alveoli lose their elasticity which makes breathing very difficult
What other problem usually happens at the same time as emphysema? This is call co-morbidity
Heart disease usually occurs at the same time as emphysema
What does carcinogenic mean?
Carcinogenic means it causes cancer
How many carcinogenic (cancer causing) chemicals are in cigarettes?
At least 50 carcinogens are in cigarettes
What are the six most harmful chemicals in cigarettes?
Nicotine, are, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, hyrogen cyanide and benzine are the most harmful chemicals in cigarettes
What else do cigarettes destroy in your body?
Cigarettes also destroy the cilia which lines the respiratory system, so that dirt from the air cannot be removed easily.
What is the order of the path air takes
mouth/nose — nasal cavity – pharynx — larynx— trachea — bronchus—bronchioles – lungs – alveoli
What is the difference between the bronchus and the bronchioles?
Bronchioles are smaller versions of the bronchus
What is the gas exchange called?
Diffusion is the process of gas exchange
How are alveoli structured to speed up gas exchange?
Alveoli are very thin, there are millions of them, and they are surrounded by capillaries which speeds up air exchange
What happens to oxygenated blood?
From the capillaries it goes back pulmonary vein and into the heart and then pumped to the rest of the body
