Anatomy: Respiratory System Flashcards
What is the respiratory system’s main function?
To perform the critical tasks involved in transporting oxygen from the atmosphere into body’s blood and removing carbon dioxide from the body’s cells.
Cells
The basic structural unit of an organism from which living things are created
Alveoli
Tiny air sacs in the lungs where exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place
Ventiliation
The exchange of oxygen with carbon dioxide in the lungs
Trachea
The windpipe, which connects the larynx to the lungs
What are the structures of the respiratory system?
- Nasopharynx
- Oropharynx
- Laryngopharynx
- Larynx
- Trachea
- Left bronchus
- Right bronchus
- Bronchioles
- Left lung
- Right lung
- Diaphragm
- Heart
Bronchi
The main passageways directly attached to the lungs
Bronchioles
Small passages in the lungs that connect bronchi to alveoli
Heart
Muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the body
Mediastinum
The area between the two lungs
Pleura
A membrane around the lungs and inside the chest cavity
Capillaries
Small vessels that connect smaller arteries, called arterioles, to smaller veins, called venules, and carry out gas exchange
Diffusion
The passive movement of substance from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration
Passive transport
Movement across a cell membrane that does not require energy input
Muscle
Fibrous tissue that produces force and motion to move the body or produce movement in parts of the body
Tidal Volume
The amount of air breathed in a normal inhalation or exhalation
Asthma
A lung disease characterized by inflamed, narrowed airways and difficulty breathing
Inflammation
The resulting redness, swelling, heat, and pain in an area of defense by innate immunity
Allergies
An immune response to a foreign agent that is not a pathogen
Disease
A condition that deteriorates the normal functioning of the cells, tissues, and/or organs
Virus
A noncellular entity that consists of a nucleic acid core (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat
Immune system
A system that protects the body from disease-causing agents known as pathogens by responding to substances on the surface of agents that the body perceives as foreign
