Respiratory Organs Flashcards
What are the functions of the respiratory system?
- Pulmonary Ventilation
- External Respiration
- Internal Respiration
- Gas Transport
- Commonly referred to as breathing
- Movement of air into and out of the lungs/respiratory passages
Ventilation
diffusion of gases across cell membranes
Respiration
- movement of gases between atmospheric air in the lungs and the blood
- occurs at the alveoli
- oxygen moves out of the alveolar air into blood while carbon dioxide diffuses out of the blood and joins the air in the alveoli
External Respiration
movement of gasses between the blood and the body’s cells
Internal respiration
Carbon dioxide and oxygen travel in the blood to and from the cells
Gas transport
Upper respiratory tract
nose to the larynx (External nose, nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx)
Lower respiratory tract
trachea through the alveoli in the lungs (trachea, bronchi, lungs)
encompasses the structures from the nose to the smallest air tubes within the lungs and is strictly for ventilation
Conducting Zone
- solely within the lungs and includes some specialized air tubes and the alveoli
- where gas exchange occurs
Respiratory Zone
Functions of the respiratory system aside from respiration
- Regulation of blood pH
- Production of chemical mediators
- Voice production
- Olfaction
- Protection
The nose consists of
external nose and nasal cavity
- visible structure that forms a prominent feature of the face
- encloses the chamber for air inspiration
external nose
- jutting external portion of the nose is supported by
bone and cartilage
- open chamber of the nose where air first enters the respiratory system
- cleaning, warming, and humidifying chamber for inspired air
nasal cavity
the nasal cavity begins at anterior external openings called the
nares or nostrils
the posterior openings into the pharynx where the nares extends to
choanae
the floor of the nasal cavity which separates it from the oral cavity of the mouth
hard palate
a wall of tissue that divides the nasal cavity into left and right halves
nasal septum
The anterior part of the nasal septum is composed of _______ while the posterior part consists of ______
cartilage
bone
- three lateral boney ridges
- used to be named turbinate bones
- acts as “wind turbines”
- helps air churn through the nasal cavity
Conchae
for tear drainage from the surface of the eye
nasolacrimal
air-filled spaces located within the bones of the skull and face
paranasal sinuses
what are the four paranasal sinuses
frontal
sphenoid
ethmoid
maxillary
functions of the nose
- provides an airway for respiration (passageway for air)
- moistens and warms entering air (humidifies)
- filters and cleans inspired air
- serves as a resonating chamber for speech (helps determine voice sound)
- houses the olfactory (smell) receptors
- sensory organ for smell
- located in the most superior part of the nasal cavity
olfactory epithelium
- Common passageway of both respiratory and digestive systems.
- Approximately 13cm in length extending from the base of the skull to the sixth vertebrae
- also called as throat
Pharynx
three regions of the pharynx
- Nasopharynx
- Oropharynx
- Laryngopharynx
- most superior portion of the pharynx
- passageway for air only
- extends from choanae to uvula
- posterior to the nasal cavity
- superior to the soft palate
nasopharynx