Respiratory System Flashcards
What is the role of the respiratory system?
Connected organs and structures that function to conduct warm, clean, moist air into close proximity with blood of the circulatory system for gas exchange.
Main components of respiratory tract.
Nasal cavity - Olfaction.
Conducting zone - Nose to bronchioles.
Oral cavity - Passage for air and food.
Respiratory zone - Bronchioles to alveoli, sites of gas exchange.
Epithelia in the respiratory system.
Epithelium attached via basement membrane to lamina propria. Epithelium changes along the tract to reflect function.
Conducting region epithelium?
Respiratory epithelium.
Epithelia where air and food travel?
Stratified squamous.
Epithelia at site of gas exchange?
Simple squamous.
Epithelia in nasal cavity?
Olfactory mucosa.
What type of epithelia is respiratory epithelium?
Pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium.
Structure of Respiratory epithelium?
Contains goblet cells that secrete mucus and ciliated cells for patterned movement of mucus towards pharynx.
Why does your nose run on a cold day?
Cilia are temperature sensitive, the colder it cold the less well they work. They stop beating and it will dribble out your nose rather than towards the pharynx.
Function of the URT
Conducting passage, not only for air. Prepares air for gas exchange by warming, cleaning and moistening.
Nose
Primary passage way for air. The front of the nose is cartilage while behind is bone. Vestibule (inside nostril) lined with skin and has sebaceous , sweat glands and hair follicles.
Conchae
Three projections that turbinate air.
Nasal mucosa.
Has a thin walled vascular plexus to help warm incoming air. This is where nose bleeds originate from.
What is a sinus?
Cavity within a bone.
What does paranasal mean?
Surrounding the nose.
Functions of the paranasal sinus.
Lighten skull, increase surface area, sound resonance.
Pharynx
Aka the throat. Is a tube shared by respiratory and digestive system. Has three regions the nasopharynx, oropharynx and the laryngopharynx.
What region of pharynx is an air passage only?
Nasopharynx.
Larynx
Aka the voice box. Air passage only. anterior tp esophagus. Located from the hyroid bone to the trachea.
Epiglottis
Closes over airway when swallowing.
Trachea
Between larynx and primary bronchi. functions to maintain patent airway with its c-shaped cartilage rings.
Trachealis
Bands of smooth muscle in trachea.
Mucociliary escalator
Moves debris to the pharynx to be swallowed and digested.
The lungs
2 lungs, 3 lobes on the right and 2 lobes on the left.
The hilum
Where the bronchi and blood vessels enter the lungs.
Regions of the lungs.
Apex (superior region).
Costal surface (against ribs).
Base (sits on diaphragm).
Bronchial tree.
Airways get smaller, the structure change to reflect how clean , moist and warm the air is.
Trachea –> primary bronchi –> secondary and tertiary bronchi –> bronchioles –> terminal bronchioles.