Respiratory System Flashcards
1
Q
What is part of the upper respiratory tract?
A
- nose
- pharynx
2
Q
What is part of the lower respiratory tract?
A
- larynx
- trachea
- bronchi
- lungs
3
Q
What are the two regions of the nose?
A
- external and internal nose
4
Q
What is the internal nose?
A
- the space within the skull posterior to the external nose
- nasal cavity
5
Q
What are the main functions of the nose?
A
- warm, moisten, and filter incoming air
- detect olfactory stimuli
- modify sound vibrations (speech)
6
Q
What does the external nose consist of?
A
- consists of both cartilage (anteriorly) and bone (posteriorly)
- the skin of its inner surface contains hairs, which filter incoming air
- frontal bone, ethmoid bone, maxilla
7
Q
Which bones make up the internal nose?
A
- nasal septum
- perpendicular plate
(ethmoid bone) - vomer
8
Q
Where are the olfactory receptors located?
A
- the roof of the nasal cavity
9
Q
Which part of the internal nose moistens incoming air?
A
- mucous membranes that line the lateral walls of the nasal cavity
10
Q
How many nasal conchae are there?
A
- superior
- middle
- inferior
11
Q
Which bones have paranasal sinuses?
A
- frontal bone, sphenoid bone, ethmoid bone, maxillae
12
Q
What is the purpose of the paranasal sinuses?
A
- increasing the surface area of the nasal mucosa
- help modify sound vibrations (speech)
13
Q
What is the parynx?
A
- funnel-shaped tube of skeletal muscle innervated by CN IX and CN X that
connects the nasal cavity to the larynx
14
Q
What are the main functions of the pharynx?
A
- passageway for air/food and assist in the swallowing of food
- modify sound vibrations
- house the tonsils (lymphatic nodules), which contribute to the body’s immune response
15
Q
What is the purpose of the nasopharynx?
A
- connections with the nasal cavity and oropharynx, it also contains openings for the auditory tubes (assist with pressure equalization in the middle ears)
16
Q
What is the oropharynx?
A
- the middle portion of the pharynx that is posterior
to the oral cavity (mouth)
17
Q
What is the laryngopharynx?
A
- the inferior portion of the pharynx that opens into
the larynx and esophagus
18
Q
What is the larynx?
A
- short passageway composed of a mixture of cartilage and skeletal muscle
that connects the laryngopharynx to the trachea
19
Q
What is the main function of the larynx?
A
- to produce sound vibrations (speech)
20
Q
What is the epiglottis?
A
- piece of cartilage that is attached to the inner surface
of the thyroid cartilage - moves down during swallowing to cover the glottis
21
Q
What prevents food and liquid from entering the larynx?
A
- epiglottis
22
Q
What is the glottis?
A
- the vocal folds and the
space between them
23
Q
What are ventricular folds?
A
- “false vocal cords”
- thick folds of mucous membrane that are brought together to assist the epiglottis in keeping food/liquid out of the larynx
24
Q
What are vocal folds?
A
- “true vocal cords”
- folds of mucous membrane that produce sound vibrations as air passes
- small skeletal muscles innervated by CN X are attached to these folds
- contraction of these muscles moves the folds back and forth and modifies their tension, thereby producing specific sound vibrations that are later modified by the pharynx, tongue, and mouth to produce speech
25
Describe the structure of the trachea.
- tube that descends through the neck and thoracic cavity and acts as a passageway for air from the larynx to the bronchi
- composed of a series of C-shaped rings of cartilage, connective tissue, and
epithelial tissue
- contains smooth muscle, which contracts/relaxes to alter the diameter of
the tube
26
What is the tracheostomy?
- an incision to provide an alternate passageway for air to reach the lungs
27
When is a tracheostomy used?
- acute situations to bypass a blockage of the upper airway
| - chronic smokers who require assistance with their breathing or who develop throat cancer
28
How many secondary bronchi are there in the right lung?
- three secondary bronchi
| - superior, middle, and inferior lobes
29
How many secondary bronchi are there in the left lung?
- two
| - superior and inferior lobes
30
Describe the hierarchy of the bronchi in the lungs.
1. primary bronchi
2. secondary bronchi
3. tertiary bronchi
4. bronchioles
5. terminal bronchioles
31
What are bronchodilators?
- contradict bronchoconstriction
- used to relax the smooth muscle
- β2 agonists, Anticholinergists, “EpiPens”
32
What are the hilum?
- entry/exit point for:
- primary bronchus
- pulmonary blood vessels
- nerves and lymphatic vessels
33
What is the name of the membrane that surrounds the lungs and the fluid filled space?
- pleural membrane
| - pleural cavity
34
Why is the fluid in the pleural cavity important?
- reduce friction
| - allow the lungs to expand during inhalation
35
What is the parietal pleura?
- superficial layer that lines the wall of the thoracic cavity
36
What is the visceral pleura?
- deep layer that lines the lungs
37
What is pleural effusion?
- excess accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity
- occurs secondary to conditions such as heart failure and pneumonia
- can compromise lung ventilation if there is sufficient fluid
38
What is pneumothorax?
- influx of air into the pleural cavity, causing one of the lungs to collapse
39
The terminal bronchioles divide into what?
- respiratory bronchioles, which themselves give rise to alveolar ducts
40
Where does gas exchange occur?
- only occurs in the respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts, and alveoli
41
What prevents the lungs from collapsing?
- surfactant, found in some alveolar cells
42
What is pulmonary ventilation?
- breathing
| - inhalation and exhalation
43
Describe inhalation.
- occurs due to an increase in the size of the thoracic cavity and is accomplished at rest by contractions of the diaphragm and external intercostals
44
Describe exhalation.
- occurs due to a decrease in the size of the thoracic cavity and is accomplished at rest by the passive relaxation of the diaphragm and external
intercostals
45
What muscles assist in forced inspiration?
- pectoralis minor, serratus anterior, SCM, scalenes, QL
46
What muscles assist in forced expiration?
- internal intercostals, muscles of the abdominal wall
47
Describe the steps of inhalation.
1. contraction of the inspiratory muscles
2. the thoracic cavity expands and “pulls” on the underlying parietal pleura
3. the parietal pleura “pulls” on the visceral pleura due to the surface tension created by the
pleural fluid
4. the visceral pleura “pulls” on the underlying lung tissue, which increases lung volume
5. the pressure inside the alveoli decreases, which causes air to be “sucked” into the airways
48
Describe the steps of exhalation.
1. relaxation of the inspiratory muscles (and possibly contraction of expiratory muscles)
2. the size of the thoracic cavity decreases, which decreases lung volume
3. the pressure inside the alveoli increases, which causes air to be “pushed” out of the airways
49
What controls the rhythm of respiration?
- collection of nuclei in
| the pons and medulla oblongata referred to as the respiratory centre
50
Which structures provide input to the respiratory centre?
- cerebral cortex – permits voluntary alterations in respiratory rate
- chemoreceptors – relay signals regarding the levels of O2, CO2, and H+ in the blood to the respiratory centre via CN IX and CN X
51
What are the names of the chemoreceptors?
- carotid arteries (CN IX)
| - arch of the aorta (CN X)
52
When CO2 enters the blood in the tissues, most of it is converted to what?
- bicarbonate
53
What are the functions of the respiratory system?
- gas exchange (O2 and CO2) between the air and blood
- voice (and other sound) production
- assisting in the regulation of the acid-base balance of the body
