Respiratory System Flashcards
Branch of a respiratory bronchiole around which alveoli and alveolar sacs are arranged.
Alveolar duct
Highly phagocytic cell found in the alveolar walls of the lungs. Also called a dust cell.
Alveolar macrophage
A cluster of alveoli that share a common opening.
Alveolar sac
Neuron capable of responding to changes in blood, air, or fluid pressure.
Baroreceptor
The trachea, bronchi, and their branching structures up to and including the terminal bronchioles.
Bronchial tree
Branch of a tertiary bronchus further dividing into terminal bronchioles (distributed to lobules of the lung), which divide into respiratory bronchioles (distributed to alveolar sacs).
Bronchiole
Sensory receptor that detects the presence of a specific chemical.
Chemoreceptors
A large, leaf-shaped piece of cartilage lying on top of the larynx, attached to the thyroid cartilage; its unattached portion is free to move up and down to cover the glottis (vocal folds and rima glottidis) during swallowing.
Epiglottis
Breathing out; expelling air from the lungs into the atmosphere.
Exhalation
Breathing out; expelling air from the lungs into the atmosphere.
External respiration
Lack of adequate oxygen at the tissue level.
Hypoxia
The act of drawing air into the lungs. Also called inspiration.
Inhalation
The exchange of respiratory gases between blood and body cells. Also called tissue respiration or systemic gas exchange.
Internal respiration
The inferior portion of the pharynx, extending downward from the level of the hyoid bone that divides posteriorly into the esophagus and anteriorly into the larynx. Also called the hypopharynx.
Laryngopharynx
The superior portion of the pharynx, lying posterior to the nose and extending inferiorly to the soft palate.
Nasopharynx
The voice box, a short passageway that connects the pharynx with the trachea
Larynx
The intermediate portion of the pharynx, lying posterior to the mouth and extending from the soft palate to the hyoid bone.
Oropharynx
Hemoglobin combined with oxygen.
Oxyhemoglobin
The throat; a tube that starts at the internal nares and runs partway down the neck, where it opens into the esophagus posteriorly and the larynx anteriorly.
Pharynx
Small potential space between the visceral and parietal pleurae.
Pleural cavity
The inflow (inhalation) and outflow (exhalation) of air between the atmosphere and the lungs. Also called breathing.
Pulmonary ventilation
Complex mixture of phospholipids and lipoproteins, produced by type II alveolar (septal) cells in the lungs, that decreases surface tension.
Surfactant
Tubular air passageway extending from the larynx to the fifth thoracic vertebra. Also called the windpipe.
Trachea
Pair of mucous membrane folds below the ventricular folds that function in voice production.
Vocal folds
A small hollow or cavity; an air sac in the lungs; milk-secreting portion of a mammary gland.
Alveolus
