Overview of upper resp tract Flashcards
What is the role of the respiratory system?
To provide conditions to breathe optimal quality air
What allows us to breathe in quality air?
Connected organs and
structures that function to
conduct clean, warm & moist air into close proximity with the
blood of the circulatory system for gas exchange.
What does the resp system need to be effective?
A surface for gas
exchange
* Blood and air brought
close together but
separated through caps
* A path for air to flow to
reach the gas exchange
surface in optimal
condition
* Ability to draw breath in
and out
What else does the respiratory system do?
Provides sound production through talking and olfaction
How many compinents is the resp system divided into?
3:
URT
LRT
Gross anatomy structures
Parts of the URT
*Nose
*Nasal cavity
*Paranasal sinuses
*Pharynx
- Nasopharynx
- Oropharynx
- Laryngopharynx
LRT parts
*Larynx
*trachea
*Bronchioles
*Respiratory bronchioles
*Alveoli
Gross anatomy structures
*Thoracic cavity
*Joints
*Respiratory muscles
What does the conducting zone do?
*Just before GE
*Nose to bronchioles
*Ensure air is warm, clean and moist
What does the respiratory zone do?
*well inside the lungs
*bronchioles to alveoli
*true sites of GE
Oral cavity also aids in respiration because:
You can also breathe in through ur mouth
What is the epitheleum tract lined with?
Mucosa
What is the epitheleum tract composed of?
A sheet of epitheleum cells attatched via the basement membrane to connective tissue Lamina Propria
What is lamina propria
Proper layer
There are 4 types of Epitheleum that:
Change along the length of the tract to reflect function
Most of the conducting region contains
Respiratory epitheleum
Where food and air contains:
Stratified squamous epitheleum that provides protection
Site of Gas exchange contains
Simple squamous epitheleum for easy Gas exchange over short distances
Olfaction contains:
Olfactory Muscosa
What are most body organs lined with?
Mucosa
What cells make up the mucosa?
The epithelia, the basement membrane and the lamina propria
What does the connective tissue of the muscosa do?
Gives strength
What do the glands of the mucosa do?
Produce mucus
What is below the mucosa layer
Submucosal layer
-More connective tissue
- Depending on the region, may contain many glands
Real name of the respiratory epitheleum
Pseudostratified ciliated columnar epitheleum with goblet cells
Where is respiratory epitheleum found?
Found in the nasal cavity, part of the pharynx, larynx, trachaea and bronchii
Why is the respiratory layer called pseudostratified?
All columnar cells are directly attatched to the basement layer but the cells appear stacked
What do Goblet cells do?
-Traps debris,
- moistens air
What do ciliated cells do?
- Patterned movement
pushes mucus
towards pharynx - Swallowed and
digested by stomach
acid
Why does your nose run on a cold day?
In cold temperatures, cilia will stop beating. With nothing to help move the mucus towards the pharynx, it can ‘dribble’ out of your nose.
Why do we cough up mucus when we are unwell?
Normally produce 1-2L of mucus a day. When we’re sick, the body produces more, so we cough to help the cilia move the mucus
Why do smokers cough?
Cigarette smoke paralyses and destroys cilia. This leads to mucus accumulation and coughing to try and dislodge it.
Functions of the URT
Conducting passage (not only air) + food
*Prepares air for respiratory membrane (gas exchange)
- Warm
- Clean
- Moist
* Paranasal sinuses- resonating chambers for speech
* Olfaction – sensory receptors
What is the functions +parts of the nose?
(4 main pts + subpoints)
-Primary passageway for air
- Cartilages
* Soft, flexible
* Maintain patent
(unobstructed) airway
- Nostrils
*External nares
- Vestibule lined with skin
* has sebaceous and sweat
glands, hair follicles
- Vibrissae (hairs) filter inhaled air
Why is the anterior of the nose wiggly and soft?
Due to the cartilage
How many bones in the nasal bridge?
Two nasal bones
Why is the cartilage to the posterior of the forehead hard?
To help keep the nasal passageways open
What seperates the nostrils?
The nasal septum
Another word for pathway
Vestibule
How do vibrisiaee filter the air?
They trap dirt, debris and pathogens
Type of tissue lining the nose
Strat squamous epitheleum
Where is the nasal septum?
In the midline i.e coronal plane
What is beside the nasal septum?
Two nasal cavities
Anterior of the nasal septum is made of:
Cartilage
The posterior of the nasal septum is made of
2 nasal bones
What is the floor of the cavity made of?
Hard and soft palates
Bones that make up the roof of the mouth
The ethmoid and sphenoid bones
Where are the conchae found
The lateral walls
How many projections of the URT?
3
* Superior
*Middle
*Inferior
What are the conchae also called and why?
They are also called turbinates because they swirl the air inside
How do the conchae help to make the air clean + warm + moist?
They are covered in respiratory epitheleum, to whicg particles stick to the mucosa –> traps due to more time in the nasal cavity
Region that picks up smells
The nasal/ olfactory epitheleum, area on the roof of the nasal cavity (above the conchae) that contains olfactory receptors
What does the epitheleum sit on?
The lamina propria
What is the lamina propria filled with?
Thin walled vascular plexus which is capable of dilating
How does the plexus warm air in cold temps
The plexus dilates in cold temps, allowing the incoming air to get warm with the help of the conchae
How do nosebleeds occur?
Due to very cold temps –> more dilation
Where does the clean warm air travel through?
The internal nares (nostrils)
What is the paranasal sinus
Empty air filled spaces around the nose
Where are the paranasal sinuses
Above the eyebrows, just below the eyes and just above the lips
Where do the sinuses drain into?
The pharynx
Functions of the paranasal sinuses
Lighten skull
* Increased surface area to
clean, warm, moisten air
* Sound resonance
* Infected mucus can block
drainage = blocked sinuses
Why does your head feel heavy when your ill
The sinuses fill up with mucus + we sound nasal
What is your throat aka
Pharynx
Structure of the Pharynx
Muscular funnel-shaped
tube shared by
respiratory and digestive
system
The air only passageway of the pharynx
Nasopharynx
Features of the nasopharynx
- Lined with the respiratory mucosa
- Posterior to the nasal
cavity - From internal nares to soft
palate - Soft palate and uvula
block the nasopharynx
during swallowing to
prevent food from entering
the nasal cavity - Auditory tubes drain here
from the middle ear - Pharyngeal tonsils
(adenoids) on the
posterior wall
Why do the pharangeal tonsils swell up when sick
Contain lymphoid tissue that create immune components to fight off pathogens
3 sets of tonsils found in the pharynx
*Lingual
*Palatine
*Adenoid
Parts of the oropharynx
- Air and food
- Stratified squamous
epithelium = protection
against abrasion - Posterior to oral cavity
- From soft palate to hyoid bone
- Palatine tonsils
- Lingual tonsils
Why are the palatine tonsils the first tonsils removed during tonsilitis
They are the 1st to come into contact with pathogens when eating food yada yada
Features of the laryngopharynx
Air and food
* Stratified squamous
epithelium
* From hyoid bone to opening of
larynx/beginning of esophagus
* Ends at level where respiratory
and digestive tracts diverge
* Food has ‘right of way’ during
swallowing
