Respiratory System Flashcards
What is respiration?
The exchange of gasses between the body and the outside air
What is the pharynx
It contains the passageway for both food and air
What is the epiglottis?
It covers the opening to the to the air passage when food is swallowed.
What is the larynx?
It contains the vocal chords (voicebox)
Trachea
Long tube that leads down to the chest.
What is the bronchus?
One of the two tubes that connects the lungs with the trachea
Bronchioles
Small air passage that branches from the bronchi
Plural (bronchi)
What is the alveolus?
Plural- alveoli
Tiny air sacs in the lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged
What is ventilation
The process of moving air in and out of the lungs
What is pulmonary gas exchange?
Gas is exchanged between the air and the blood in the alveoli of the lungs
The high oxygen concentration in the alveoli diffuses into the pulmonary capillaries that surround the alveoli
The high carbon dioxide concentration in the blood causes it to diffuse into the alveoli which is eventually expired
Explain the process of gas transport.
The pulmonary capillaries carry the oxygen rich blood back to the heart
The heart then pumps the oxygen rich blood throughout the body
The oxygen rich blood eventually reaches the peripheral capillaries in the bodies tissues
Explain peripheral gas exchange.
Oxygen diffuses across the peripheral capillaries in the body cells which have a lower oxygen concentration than the blood
Carbon dioxide, a waste produced by cellular respiration, diffuses into the capillaries, which have a lower carbon dioxide concentration than the body cells
Explain the process back to the lungs after peripheral gas exchange.
Oxygen poor and carbon dioxide rich blood then travels back to the heart through the veins
The heart pumps oxygen poor blood back into the alveoli of the lungs where gas is again exchanged. Carbon dioxide will diffuse into the alveoli and eventually be expelled.
Name some respiratory diseases.
Asthma
Periodic and chronic inflammation of the airways that causes difficulty in breathing. An Athens attack can be caused by a number of factors including allergens and stress.
Pneumonia
Inflammation of the lungs and the entrance of fluid into the alveoli. Pneumonia reduces the efficiency of gas exchange and is characterised by difficulty in breathing. Pneumonia can be brought on by a number of factors including infection.
Emphysema
Deterioration of the alveoli walls, leading to difficulty breathing. Emphysema is usually a direct result of smoking.
