Respiratory System Flashcards
What is the respiratory system?
The system in the human body that enables us to breathe
Describe the act of breathing
Inhalation and exhalation, which is the absorption of oxygen from the air in order to produce energy, then the discharge of carbon dioxide, which is the byproduct of the process
How many parts of the respiratory system divided into?
Two, the upper and lower respiratory track
What does the upper respiratory tract include?
The nose, mouth and the beginning of the trachea
What does the lower respiratory tract include?
The trachea, the bronchi, bronchioles and the lungs
What is the bronchi?
Extensions of the wind pipe that shuttle air to and from the lungs.
What are bronchioles?
Air passages inside the lungs that branch off like tree limbs from the bronchi
What do bronchioles do?
Deliver air tiny sacs, called alveoli, where oxygen, and carbon dioxide are exchanged
What are alveoli?
Tiny air sacs that sit at the very end of the respiratory tree and exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules to and from the bloodstream
What are the functions of the respiratory system?
- Inhalation and exhalation
- External respiration
- Internal respiration
- Air vibrating the vocal chords to create sound
- Olfaction
What is inhalation and exhalation?
Pulmonary ventilation or breathing
What is external respiration?
The exchange of gases between the lungs and the bloodstream
What is internal respiration?
The exchange of gases between the bloodstream and body tissues
What is olfaction?
Smelling
What are the primary organs of the respiratory system?
The lungs, which carry out the exchange of gases as we breathe