Chapter 2 Respiratory System Flashcards
What is the respiratory system?
The respiratory system is the network of capillaries and tissues that help you breathe. It includes your airways, lungs and blood vessels. The muscles that power your lungs are also part of the respiratory system. These parts work together to move air throughout the lungs and clean out waste gas like carbon dioxide.
Mouth and nose
The first structure through which air passes when we inhale
Trachea
The windpipe is surrounded by cartilage for protection
Bronchus
The two branches of the trachea
They direct air into the lungs
Bronchioles
The smaller branches of the bronchi
They transport to the alveoli
Alveoli
Millions of air sacs
Gaseous exchange takes place here
What happens at the alveoli?
Gaseous exchange occurs at the alveoli through diffusion.
How are the alveoli specialised?
They have a large surface area
The walls are thin and one cell thick
The walls are moist
Describe the pathway of air from the atmosphere to the alveoli
The oxygen gets inhaled through the mouth and nose then it passes through the trachea to then split of into the bronchi which then split into bronchioles which have alveoli where gaseous exchange take place.
What is total lung capacity
The total amount of oxygen your lungs can hold
Tidal Volume (TV)
The amount of breaths taking in one minute The volume of air inhaled during normal breathing
Breathing Rate
The amount of breaths taking in one minute
Minute Ventilation (MV)
The volume of air you breathe per minute
Vital Capacity (VC)
The maximum amount of air you can breathe out, after breathing in as much as you can
Residual Volume (RV)
The volume of air left in the lungs after a full exhalation of breath
