Anatomy of the Respiratory System Flashcards
respiration refers to
gas exchange from the atmosphere to the blood to the cells
ventilation describes
the mechanical process of moving air into and out of the lungs
inspiration
breathing air into the lungs
expiration
breathing air out of the lungs
gas exchange describes
the movement of gases across membranes
alveolar gas exchange is
gas exchange between the lungs and blood
systemic gas exchange
gas exchange between the blood and tissue cells
the upper respiratory system consists of
the nose, pharynx, larynx, and trachea
all the components of the upper respiratory system are located
outside of the thorax
the lower respiratory tract contains
the bronchial tree and lungs, which are located almost entirely within the thorax
conductive zone consists of
passageways that warm, humidify, cleanse incoming air before it reaches respiratory zone
respiratory zone is
the actual site of gas exchange
the external portion of the nose consists of
bone and cartilage covered with muscle, dense connective tissue, and skin
two external nares are
openings that allow air to enter the nose
the nasal cavity is a
hollow space extending into the facial bones of the skull
vestibule
anterior portion of the nasal cavity just inside the nostrils
the vestibule is lined with
stratified squamous epithelium and stiff vibrissae
nasal septum
a vertical partition that divides cavity into left and right cavities
nasal cavity is separated from the mouth by
the palate
nasal conchae curl out from ______ to ______
each lateral wall
to increase surface area of cavity
turbinate bones are covered in
mucous membranes
two internal nares
openings that link the nasal cavity with the pharynx
the internal structures of the nose are specialized for
3 particular functions
incoming air to the nose is
warmed and moistened and filtered of dust particles
how the air is warmed
large blood vessels in epithelium warm and moisten air
how the nose traps particles
ciliated psuedostratified mucosa contains glands that secrete up to one liter of mucus daily to trap inhaled particles and drive them toward pharynx
the nose detects
odors
how the nose detects odors
by olfactory receptors in olfactory mucosa
the nose modifies
speech sounds
how the nose modifies speech sounds
a large, hollow resonating chambers
causes of a nosebleed
trauma to the lower nasal septum from a sharp blow or from “picking” one’s nose could cause a nosebleed
spontaneous bleeding from capillaries in nasal epithelium may indicate
hypertension
the pharynx is
a muscular “funnel” extending from the internal nares to the larynx
the nasopharynx is the
uppermost portion and it contains the pharyngeal tonsil
two openings in the nasopharynx lead to the
auditory (Eustachian) tubes that connect to middle ears
nasopharynx is lined with
pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium and/or stratified squamous epithelium to trap dust-laden mucus
the oropharynx is the
middle portion and it contains the palatine and lingual tonsils
the oropharynx serves as a
common pathway from air, food, and drink
the oropharynx is lined with
stratified squamous epithelium
the laryngopharynx
links the esophagus with the larynx
the larynx
is a boxlike structure comprised of nine pieces of cartilage
the anterior wall of the larynx is made of
thyroid cartilage
-usually larger in males than females due to influence of testosterone
epiglottis is
a cartilaginous flap that closes the glottis during swallowing to prevent foods and liquids from entering larynx
cricoid cartilage is
a ring of cartilage that attaches the larynx to the trachea
cartilages that function in speech production
paired arytenoid, corniculate, and cuneiform cartilages
fibrous ligaments
bind the cartilage of the larynx together and to adjacent structures
extrinsic ligaments
link thyroid cartilage to hyoid bone and cricoid cartilage to trachea
intrinsic ligaments
hold laryngeal cartilages together
two pairs of prominent folds are visible in the
mucous membrane of the larynx
superior folds are
false vocal cords and they close glottis during swallowing
inferior folds are
true vocal cords and they produce sound as air rushes past them
intrinsic muscles
operate the true vocal cords by pulling on the aryteniod cartilages and corniculate cartilages
what causes the vocal cords to vibrate
air being forced between the vocal cords
taut vocal cords produce
high pitch sounds
relaxed vocal cords produce
lower pitch sounds
vocal cords are usually thicker and longer in
males than females
sounds that are produced by the vocal cords
get converted into speech by actions of pharynx, mouth, tongue, lips, and nasal cavity
inflamed vocal cords are caused by
infection, very dry air, overuse, vocal folds swell and cause hoarseness
(loss of voice)
the trachea is
a rigid tube that carries air from the larynx to the lungs
C-shaped cartilage rings in trachea prevent
its collapse during inhalation or swallowing
the inner wall of the trachea is lined with
ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium
mucus trapped particles in the inner wall of the trachea are
moved up to the pharynx by a “mucocilliary escalator”
any obstruction of the trachea
must be cleared quickly in order to preserve airflow
during a tracheostomy
an incision is made in the trachea below the cricoid cartilage to create emergency air passageway
during intubation
a tube is inserted into the mouth or nose and passed through larynx and trachea to open obstruction
the trachea divides into
primary bronchi that enter into the lungs
right primary bronchus is
shorter, wider, and more vertical than the left primary bronchus
both primary bronchi are
supported by C-shaped cartilage rings
each primary bronchus
branches into smaller secondary (lobar) bronchi
each secondary bronchus
divides into tertiary (segmental) bronchi, which supply a different bronchopulmonary segment of the lung
each tertiary bronchus
divide into bronchioles
bronchioles are completely surrounded by
smooth muscle innervated by autonomic system to regulate diameter of bronchiole
bronchioles branch repeatedly to form
terminal bronchioles
each terminal bronchiole subdivides into
microscopic respiratory bronchioles
each respiratory bronchiole divides into
several alveolar ducts
The lungs are
large, conical, spongy organs located in the thoracic cavity
the concave base of the lungs rests on
the diaphragm, apex projects superior to clavicle, costal surface lies against ribs
the hilum
is the entrance for primary bronchi, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels,and nerves
each lung is covered by a
pleura,which consists of two layers of serous membrane
outer parietal pleura is attached to
the wall of the thoracic cavity
inner visceral pleura covers the
surface of each lung
pleural cavity
between the pleurae is filled with fluid serous fluid to reduce friction during breathing
pleurisy describes
inflammation of the pleurae caused by cancer, pneumonia, tuberculosis
pleurisy increases
friction and causes “stabbing pain” and shortness of breath
each lung is divided into
lobes by one or more fissures
right lungs consists of
3 lobes and is larger than the left lung which only consists of 2 lobes because of cardiac notch
each pulmonary lobe
receives its own secondary (lobar) bronchus
a bronchopulmonary segment consists of
lobules enclosed in elastic connective tissue
each bronchopulmonary segment is supplied with
a lymphatic vessel, an arteriole, a venule, and a terminal bronchiole
alveolar sacs consist of
clusters of grape-like alveoli
each lung contains approx _______ alveoli creates________
150 million alveoli
creates 70 square meters of surface for gas exchange
type 1 alveolar cells are
thin-walled simple squamous cells that permit rapid gas exchange
type 2 alveolar cells produce
the lipoprotein surfactant; lowers surface tension of alveolar fluid to prevent collapse of alveoli during expiration
alveolar macrophages are
wandering phagocytes that remove dust and debris
the respiratory membrane is
a very thin barrier separating the alveoli from the blood capillaries across which gas exchange between the lungs and blood occurs
