Anatomy Flashcards
What structure does the upper respiratory tract consist of?
nasal cavities, oral cavity, pharynx and larynx
what structures does the lower respiratory tract consist of?
trachea, right and left main bronchus, lobar bronchi, segmental bronchi, bronchioles and alveoli
what structures from the lower respiratory tract are located in the lungs?
lobar bronchi, segmental bronchi, bronchioles and alveoli
what does the larynx become at C6?
the trachea
what splits the URT and LRT
C6 vertebra
how many lobes are there in the lungs?
5, 2 in left lung (upper and lower) and 3 in the right lung (upper, middle and lower)
how many segments are there in each lung
10 in each
how many segmental bronchi are there
10 in each lung
what’s the space between each lung called
fissure
what is the route air takes in normal breathing
air comes in through the nose/mouth through the naval cavities/oral cavity and then passes through the pharynx, the larynx, then once at the C6 vertebra it goes into the LRT. Air passes through the trachea, the right and left main bronchi, the lobar bronchi, bronchioles and then the alveoli.
what are the three parts of the pharynx
the nasal pharynx (the most superior part and is located behind the nose), the oropharynx (middle part and located behind the oral cavity) and the laryngopharynx or hypo pharynx which is located behind the larynx (the voice box).
why can surgeons just remove a segment of the lung instead of a lobe or the entire thing?
because each lobe and bronchopulmonary segment has its own blood supply, air supply, lymphatic drainage and nerve supply
what does the inside of the bronchial tree consist of
‘respiratory’ epithelium. It contains mucous glands which secrete mucous onto the epithelial cells. And there’s cilia which beat to sweep the mucous (plus any foreign bodies stuck in the mucous)superiorly towards the pharynx to thence swallowed. This is the mucociliary escalator.
what can interfere with the normal beating of the cilia?
cooling/drying of the mucosa or toxins in cigarette smoke
what occurs if the normal beating of the cilia is interfered?
it can result in a cough to try expel the mucous
what is the role of hyaline cartilage?
it supports the walls of the trachea and all the bronchi, assisting with maintaining the patency of the airways (holding them up).
which parts of the LRT do not contain cartilage
the walls of the most distal bronchioles and the walls of the alveoli
why must alveoli have neither cartilage nor smooth muscle in their walls
as this would impact on diffusion , the walls need to be extremely thin