Respiratory Flashcards
What are the functional divisions of the respiratory system?
Conducting zone and the respiratory zone
Describe the conducting zone
It directs the air via respiratory passageways, at no point is there gas exchange.
-humidifies, filter, and warm the air.
Describe the respiratory zone
Gas exchange occurs here. Sites where there are alveoli.
Occurs in the respiratory bonchioles, alveolar ducts, alveolar sacs.
What is the only external portion of the respiratory tract/system?
The external nose.
What type of cartilage makes up the external nose tip?
Hyaline cartilages
What forms the root of your nose?
The maxilla bones
What makes up the external nose?
Bone and cartilage
What separates the right and left sides of the internal nasal cavity?
Nasal septum
What is the purpose of nasal hairs in the vestibule?
Filtering large particles and bugs from getting into your nasal cavity.
What forms the roof of the internal nasal cavity?
The ethmoid (anteriorly placed contains olfactory foramina) and sphenoid bones (posteriorly placed
What makes the floor of the internal nasal cavity?
the hard palate and the soft palate
What forms the hard palate?
the maxilla bones (anteriorly placed) and the palatine bones that are fused posteriorly.
What structure do you need to pass in order to exit the internal nasal cavity?
The internal nares, not a structure but a region.
What forms the nasal septum?
Vomer bone and perpenicular plate (bottom part) of the ethmoid bone (top part).
Septal cartilage which is hyaline cartilage.
What is the function of the nasal conchae?
to increase air turbulence with in the nasal cavity, which increases the contact the air has with the nasal mucosa
-humidifies the air, filter the air, and warm the air.
What are the paranasal cavities and where are they located?
Located in the frontal, maxilla, ethmoid, sphenoid bones.
- air filled cavities lined with respiratory mucosa, continuous with the internal nasal cavity.
- there is cillia present, mucous is being produced.
What is a sinus infection?
When mucous is being produced in the paranasal sinuses and it cannot drain into the internal nasal cavity for it to be blown out of your nose, causing pressure to increase in these areas.
Off of what wall do the nasal conchae project off of?
The lateral walls of the internal nasal cavity.
What are the different types of nasal cavity mucosa?
Olfactory mucosa and respiratory mucosa
What is olfactory mucosa and where is it found?
- Found on the roof of the nasal cavity on the sides of the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid bone.
- houses olfactory neurons/dendrites
What is the respiratory mucosa and where is it found?
- psedostratified columnar epithelium with glands in the CT.
- contatin mucouse secreting cells to capture particles
- contains serous cells that secrete digestive enzymes that will help to start breaking up some of the stuff that is caught in the mucus.
What is Rhinits? What happens?
Inflammation of the respiratory mucosa.
- the tissue gets irritated and inflamed and causes more secretion of mucous.
- You can either blow out the extra mucous or you can swallow it.
- The constant dripping of mucous in the back of the throat is what causes a sore throat.
Generally describe the pharynx?
funnel-shaped passageway that points directly into the esophagus. Connects the oral cavity and the nasal cavity to the larynx and esophagus.
Where does the superior part of the pharynx start?
It begins in the region immediately posterior to the nasal cavity.
What are the three parts of the pharynx?
- nasopahrynx
- oropharynx
- laryngopharynx
Describe the nasopharynx?
- lined with respiratory mucosa (pseudostratified columnar epithelium)
- extends from the internal nares (begins posterior to the internal nasal cavity) down to the uvula.
- contains the opening for the pharyngotympanic tube (eustachian tube)
How do we get ear infections?
Little pathogens enter the opening for the eustachian tube and get inside our inner ear.
describe the oropharynx
- sits posterior to the oral cavity.
- extends from the uvula to the epiglottis region.
- lined with non-keratinized stratified sqamous epithelium. (same as the oral cavity)
- needed for the food and beverage that is going down.
What is your pharynx?
your throat
describe the laryngopharynx
sits posterior to the larynx
- extends from the epiglottis to the esophagus
- lined with non-keratinized stratified squamous epithelium. needed for the food and beverage passing down.
What are tonsils?
lymphoid organs that are trying to get rid of the pathogens and bacteria that are entering through the air and the mouth
Describe the pharyngeal tonsil (adenoids)
- singular tonsil
- located in the nasopharynx in the superior posterior wall of the nasopharynx
Why is infection of the adenoids a problem?
Inflammation of the adenoids causes a blockage of the nasopharynx so air cannot flow down.
- causes people to have to breathe through their mouth
- problem because air is not being filters as much when it comes in through the mouth.
Describe the palatine tonsils
located on fauces (lateral walls as you’re exiting the oral cavity and entering the oropharynx).
Describe the lingual tonsil
on the posterior surface of the tongue
Describe the larynx structurally
Made up of 9 hyaline cartilages connected by membranes and ligaments
- anchored to the hyoid bone superiorly
- continuous with the trachea
Describe the larynx functionally
Functions in vocalization, open airway, routing food and air to the proper passageways.
Where is the epiglottis?
At the superior portion of the larynx.
What is the purpose of the epiglottis?
closes off the larynx so that food goes backwards into the esophagus and not down the trachea
What is the thyroid cartilage?
Part of the larynx. contains the laryngeal prominence (adams apple)
-described as an open book (does not wrap around to the posterior)
What is the cricoid cartilage?
Part of the larynx
-complete ring. starts of small aneriorly and poteriorly gets real large.
How does the epiglottis close?
As you swallow food, the larynx is going to be pulled up by muscles pushing up against the epiglottis causing it to cover the top of the trachea.
What is the only unpaired cartilage in the larynx?
The epiglottis
What is the job of the vestibular fold (false vocal cord)
to not make sound but to provide a crease for the true vocal fold
What cartilages are involved in sound making?
The true vocal cord (true vocal fold) and the arytenoid cartilages.
true vocal folds vibrate with each other and the arytenoid cartilages move around to control the opening (glottis) and closing of the vocal cords.
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Are the muscles involved with the vocal cords skeletal or smooth?
Skeletal
What is the glottis? rimmaglotis?
Hole caused by the separation of the true vocal cords + vocal cords =glottis
rimmaglottis is the slit between the two when closed.
Describe the trachea
C-shaped rings of hyalin cartilage beginning inferior to the cricoid cartilage of the larynx to the middle of the thoracic cavity.
-rings are open posteriorly because the esophagus is running behind it.
What is the carina?
A sensitive type of epithelial tissue found at the point where the trachea bifurcates into the primary bronchi.
If the carina is irritated what happen?
triggers coughing
Where is the trachealis and what is it’s function?
- smooth muscle
- Found on the posterior side of the trachea, anterior to the esophagus.
- when contracted, decreases the size of the lumen of the trachea to cause a more forceful cough or sneeze.
What lines the lumen of the trachea?
A mucosal layer – pseudostratified columar epithelium.
What is the difference in the cillia in the nasal cavity and the trachea?
Nasal cavity beats posteriorly
trachea beats upwards.
What are the layers of the wall of the trachea?
Mucosal
submucosal
cartilage
adventitia
Describe the submucosal layer of the trachea?
Contains seromucous glands that will be producing digestive enzymes similar to what we see in the lining of the internal nasal cavity.
What is a tracheotomy?
A vertical incision between the first two rings of the trachea and a tube is placed in there as an airway.
-emergency situations a hole is made between the cricoid and thyroid cartilage.
When do we start bronchioles?
When the branches of the bronchi start reaching 1mm in diameter.
How many lobes in the right and left lung?
Left = 2
right =3
When do we start seeing terminal bronchioles?
when the bronchioles are about .5 mm
What are the layers to the bronchioles all the way down to the terminal bronchioles?
same as the trachea.
-mucosal, submucosa
What happens to the connective tissue (cartilage) as you make your way down to the bronchioles?
Trachea = C-shaped rings
Primary bronchi = complete rings
As you are approaching the bronchioles, it turns into plates
At the bronchioles no cartilage.
What happens to the epithelium as you approach the bronchioles?
Trachea, primary bronchi = pseudostratified columnar epithelium.
As you approach the bronchioles, the mucous membrane thins out and start becoming cuboidal in shape.
At the bronchioles there is no mucous being produced
What happens to the smooth muscle as we approach the bronchioles?
Trachealis muscle in the trachea and this muscles becomes helical bands of muscle that become more prominent around the respiratory tubes up until the bronchioles. Fromthe bronchioles it begins to thin out and then by the time we reach the alveoli, there is no smooth muscle.
The conducting zone goes up to what?
The terminal bronchioles
Describe the structure of Alveoli
Simple squamous epithelium called Type 1 cells covered with capillaries and elastic fibers.
Where does the respiratory zone start?
At the respiratory bronchiole
What is running down the middle of a cluster of alveoli?
An alveolar duct
How are the alveoli attached to one another?
Via alveolar pores
What is the respiratory membrane?
-fused basement membranes between the alveolar wall and the capillary wall. alveolar epithelium and capillary endothelium.
-It is the strip of tissues or cells that gas exchange has to occur at.
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What are type 2 cells?
- secrete surfactant
- do not add to the structural component of the alveolar war.
What is surfactants function?
- liquidy type of substance that will the coat the inside walls of the alveoli and prevent them from sticking to one another after exhalation.
- interacts with the water droplets left in the alveoli (due to humidified air) so the walls do not stick
In regards to type 2 cells, why is being born early a problem?
Because surfactant isnt secreteed until late in the pregnancy so if a baby is born too early and may cause respiratory distrress causing the baby to have to breath really hard.
What is the function of the alveolar dust cell?
A macrophage that will migrate around the alveoli between the pores to get rid of anything that has gotten by.
-will make its way to the bronchioles where there is cillia and ride the mucous elevator and brings it out of the lower regions of the lungs.
How many bronchopulmonary segments are there in each lung and what is it’s purpose?
ABOUT 10
- one tertiary bronchi serves each of these segments.
- if one segment is affected, it will not effect the other segments.
- segments are separated by CT
What is serving each lobule of the lung?
One bronchiole.
What is the hilum?
Medial surface of the lung
What the root of the lung?
things that are collectively passing in and out of the lung, passing through the hilum.
In regards to pressure, what is necessary to keep the lungs open?
- As the lungs recoil down, there will be some pulling between the visceral and parietal pleural layers.
- this causes negative pressure inside the pleural space.
- so the pressure in the pleural space needs to be lower than atomspheric pressure.
What is pneumothroax?
When the pressure in the pleural cavity equilibrates with the atmospheric pressure and the lung collapses because there is no pressure holding that lung open.
