Anatomy of trachea, pleura, lungs

Question 1

What is the extent of the trachea?

Answer 1

From C6-T4-T5 (carina)

Question 2

How long and wide is the trachea?

Answer 2

It is 10-15cm (5 inches) long and 2.5cm (1 inch) wide

Question 3

When does the trachea stretch and recoil?

Answer 3

Stretches during inspiration and recoils during expiration`

Question 4

What is the trachea’s relationship with the neck anteriorly?
(TISS)

Answer 4

thyroid isthmus, sternohyoid/sternothyroid muscles, inferior thyroid veins

Question 5

What is the trachea’s relationship with the neck laterally?
(TRIC)

Answer 5

common carotid arteries, thyroid lobes, recurrent laryngeal nerves (groove), inferior thyroid arteries

Question 6

What is the trachea’s relationship with the neck posteriorly?

Answer 6

esophagus

Question 7

What is the trachea’s relationship with the thorax anteriorly?

Answer 7

manubrium sterni, thymus remnant, left brachiocephalic vein, brachiocephalic trunk, arch of aorta, left common carotid artery, cardiac plexus

Question 8

What is the trachea’s relationship with the thorax right laterally?
(PRB)

Answer 8

pleura, right vagus, brachiocephalic trunk,

Question 9

What is the trachea’s relationship with the thorax left laterally?
(SALL)

Answer 9

left recurrent laryngeal nerve, arch of aorta, left common carotid, subclavian arteries

Question 10

What is another name for the trachea?

Answer 10

Windpipe

Question 11

What does the trachea first branch into?

Answer 11

the primary/main left and right bronchi

Question 12

What surrounds the trachea?

Answer 12

Fibrocartilaginous horse shoe/ U shaped rings

Question 13

What do the primary bronchi branch into?

Answer 13

Left: 2 lobar/ secondary bronchus
Right: 3 lobar/ secondary bronchus

Question 14

What connects the cartilages around the trachea?

Answer 14

Annular ligaments

Question 15

List the differences between the right and left main/primary bronchus

Answer 15

Right: wider, shorter (2.5 cm), more straight with the trachea (so foreign objects more easily goes down it-lower lobe due to gravity), has 3 lobar branches
Left: narrower, longer (5cm), has a curve (makes it difficult if foreign objects were to go down it), has 2 lobar branches

Question 16

How many bronchopulmonary segments are the left and right sides?

Answer 16

Left: 8-10
Right: 10

Question 17

Where does the trachea start?

Answer 17

At larynx and ends at bifurcation

Question 18

What’s the elevation called at the bifurcation and what is its purpose?

Answer 18

Carina of Trachea and it separates the openings of the right and left main bronchus

Question 19

When a foreign body object enters the lungs, where is the most common place it would enter?

Answer 19

Into the right main bronchus

Question 20

What happens to cartilage going down the airway and why? What is this known as?

Answer 20

It reduces because air and O2 cannot pass through the cartilage and gas exchange needs to be done
Known as the Conducting airway

Question 21

Where does the conducting airway happen?

Answer 21

Conducting bronchiole

Question 22

What happens once O2 starts being lost at terminal bronchioles?

Answer 22

The system switches from conducting bronchiole to the respiratory bronchiole

Question 23

If bronchioles have no cartilage, what surrounds them?

Answer 23

Smooth muscles

Question 24

How many alveolar ducts does each resp. bronchiole give off?

Answer 24

2-11

Question 25

How many Alveolar sacs does each alveolar duct give off?

Answer 25

3-6

Question 26

How many alveoli can be found in the adult lungs?

Answer 26

about 300-700 million

Question 27

Explain the blood air barrier

Answer 27

The air from the alveolar sac must first move through the alveolar membrane then through the membrane of capillaries before they can get into the lumen of the pulmonary arteries
-The barrier is permeable to molecular O2 and CO2 which allows for cellular resp. to occur

Question 28

What forms the alveoli-capillary membrane?

Answer 28

Formed by type pneumocytes of the alveoli and endothelial cells of the capillaries

Question 29

What arteries supply the trachea?

Answer 29

Inferior thyroid artery and Bronchial artery

Question 30

What veins supply the trachea?

Answer 30

Inferior thyroid veins and bronchial veins

Question 31

Which nerves innervate the trachea?

Answer 31

Vagus, sympathetics (T1-T4), Recurrent laryngeal nerves

Question 32

Which artery supplies the tracheobronchial tree?

Answer 32

Bronchial artery

Question 33

Which veins supply the tracheobronchial tree?

Answer 33

Mainly the bronchial vein (drains proximal part of root of lung/larger bronchi) and also the pulmonary vein (drains distal part of root of lung/smaller bronchi)