Exam 1: Respiration Part 1 Flashcards
Respiration
The exchange of gas between organism and its environment. We bring oxygen to the cell of the body to sustain life through inhalation and eliminate waste products through expiration.
Respiratory System Functions
Supplies the body with oxygen and disposes of carbon dioxide, filters the air we breathe in, assists in producing sound, contains receptors for smell, rids the body of some excess water and heat, helps regulate blood pH.
Process of Respiration
Bringing air into the lungs is muscular, going from upper into lower respiratory tract, occurs due to the fact that all forces in nature seek balance and equilibrium (Boyle’s Law).
Boyle’s Law
Inverse relationship between pressure and volume, forms the basis for movement of air into and out of the lungs. When you exhale, the volume of the thoracic cavity is decreasing, therefore the air is being pushed out and the pressure is increasing.
Support System of Respiration
While the lungs carry out gas exchange, the rib cage performs a protective function. Ribs are housed within the thorax, and the entire thorax is suspended by the vertebral column (also the conduit for spinal cord).
5 Vertebral Column Divisions
Cervical (C1-C7), Thoracic (T1-T12), Lumbar (L1-L5), Sacral (S1-S5), Coccygeal (fused unit- coccyx).
Vertebral column is composed of 33 segments of bone with a rich set of foss and protuberance clearly designed to function.
Cervical Vertebrae C1-C7
Form the skeleton of the neck, smallest of the 24 movable vertebrae, bare less weight.
Corpus Cerivcal Vertebrae
Body, anterior portion of the vertebrae.
Vertebral Foramen Cervical Vertebrae
Where the tracts of the spinal cord pass. Foramen means opening.
Facets
Where something may be connected to something else. The vertebrae sit on top of each other to form a vertebral column. The articulate by means of facets. They provide the surface for 2 adjacent vertebrae to connect.
Ribs and Rib Cage
12 pairs of ribs (7 true, 3 false, 2 floating). Floating ribs do not connect to the sternum, the only articulate with the vertebral column. The cartilaginous attachment of the ribs to the sternum allows the ribs to rotate slightly during respiration, allowing the rib cage to elevate.
Sternum
Has 3 components. Manubrium (attachment for clavicle and first rib), Corpus (attachment for 5 more ribs), Xiphoid Process (anterior most attachment of diaphragm).
Soft Tissues of the Thorax and Respiratory Passageway
Communication between the lungs and the environment, by means of the respiratory passageway including oral and nasal cavities, larynx, trachea, and bronchial tubes.
Respiratory Mucosa
A layer of cells the secrete mucus. Found in nose, sinuses, pharynx, larynx, and trachea. Mucus can trap contaminants, and cilia move mucus up toward the mouth.
Nose
Provides an airway for respiration, moistens and warms entering air, filters and cleans inspired air, serves as resonating chamber for speech, and houses olfactory receptors.
Nose- Internal Nares
Opening to the pharynx.
Nose- External Nares
Opening to exterior.
Nose- Conchae
Folds in the mucous membrane that increase air turbulence and ensures that most air contacts the mucous membranes.
Pharynx
Commonly called the throat. Used by both the respiratory and digestive systems, common pathway for both air and food. Originates posterior to the nasal and oral cavities and extends inferiorly near the level of the bifurcation of the larynx and
esophagus. Common pathway for both air and food. Walls are lined by mucosa and contain skeletal muscles that are primarily used for swallowing. Flexible lateral walls are distensible in order to force swallowed food into the esophagus.
Three Adjoining regions of the Pharynx
Nasopharynx, Oropharynx, Laryngopharynx.
Lower Respiratory Tract: Conducting Airways
Trachea, Bronchi, up to Terminal Bronchioles
Lower Respiratory Tract: Respiratory Portion
Respiratory Bronchioles, Alveolar Ducts, Alveoli.
Larynx
AKA Voice Box. Vocal Folds.
Vestibular Folds
Superior ligaments, called false vocal fold because they have no function in sounds production, but protect the vocal folds.
Sound Production
Intermittent release of exhaled air through the vocal folds.
Loudness
Depends on the force of which air is exhaled through the cords.
Resonating Chambers
Pharynx, oral cavity, nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses act as resonating chambers that add quality to sound.
Enunciation of Words
Muscles of the face, tongue, and lips help with the enunciation of words.
Trachea
AKA Windpipe. Lies anterior to the esophagus and inferior to the larynx. Anterior and lateral walls of the trachea are supported by 15 to 20 c-shaped tracheal cartilages. Cartilage rings reinforce and provide rigidity to the tracheal wall to ensure that the trachea remains open at all times. Lined by cilia.
Right and Left Bronchi
At the level of the sternal angle, the trachea bifurcates into two smaller tubes. Each primary bronchus projects laterally toward each lung.
Bronchial Tree
A highly branched system of air-conducting passages that originate from the left and the right primary bronchi. Progressively branch into narrower tubes as they diverge throughout the lungs before terminating in the terminal bronchioles.
The Right Primary Bronchus
Shorter, wider, and more vertically oriented than the left primary bronchus. Foreign particles are more likely to lodge in the right.
Alveoli
Air sacs in the lungs. They have a thin wall specialized to promote diffusion of gasses between the alveolus and the blood in the pulmonary capillaries. Each lung contains about 300-400 million alveoli. The spongy nature of the lung is due to the packing of millions of alveoli together.
Gas exchange can take place in the ___?
Respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts, alveoli.
Each lung has a ___?
Conical (cone) shape. Its wide base rests upon the muscular diaphragm.
Lung Apex
The lung’s top portion, projects superiorly to a point that is slightly superior and posterior to the clavicle. Both lungs are bordered by thoracic wall and supported by the rib cage.
Right Lung
Divided into 3 lobes by oblique and horizontal fissure. Located more superiorly in the body due to liver on the right side.
Left Lung
Divided into two lobes by oblique fissure. Smaller than the right lung. Cardiac notcher accommodates the heart.
Left Lung
Divided into 2 lobes by oblique fissure. Smaller than the right lung, cardiac notch accomodates the heart.
Pleura and Pleural Cavities
The outer surface of each lung and the adjacent internal thoracic wall are lined by a serous membrane called pleura. The outer surface of each lung is tightly covered by visceral pleura. The pleural linings, in conjunction with thoracic wall, provide the mechanism for air movement through muscular action.
Pleural Cavities
The potential space between the serous membrane layers is a pleural cavity. The pleural membranes produce a thin, serous pleural fluid that circulates in the pleural cavity and acts as a lubricant ensuring minimal friction during breathing.
Pleural Effusion
Occurs when fluid that accumulates between the two pleural layers. This can impair breathing by limiting the expansion of the lungs.
Pneumothorax
An abnormal collection of air or gas in the pleural space that separates the lung from the chest wall, may interfere with normal breathing.
Inspiration
Is a graded activity. Depending on the needs of your body:
Quiet Inspiration: needs only one muscle
Forced Inspiration: calls on many more muscles.
If the lungs are to expand and fill with air, the thorax must increase in size.
Diaphragm
Primary Muscle of Inspiration. Divides the thoracic from the abdominal cavity. Attached to the lower perimeter of the rib cage and rises to an elevated central tendon that insert into the xiphoid process of the sternum. Innervated the the phrenic nerve bilaterally.
Function: by lowering the central tendon, it increases the vertical dimension of the thorax, and provides for inhalation.
