Respiratory System Flashcards
Trachea
The tube that runs from your mouth down the front of your chest to connect to the bronchi in the lungs.
Bronchi
Tubes that branch from the trachea into smaller tubes called bronchioles, which carry oxygen into the lungs.
Bronchioles
Tiny tubes branching from the larger bronchi that bring oxygen to alveoli in the lungs.
Alveoli
Small air sacs at the end of the bronchioles, which are the site of gas exchange in the lungs
Pulmonary arteries
Blood vessels that carry blood lacking oxygen from the heart to the lungs.
Capillaries
The smallest blood vessels in the body, which are responsible for gas exchange in cells and at the alveoli.
Pulmonary veins
The blood vessels that carry oxygen rich blood from the lungs back to the heart
List the organs of the Respiratory System
Nose Nasal cavity Pharynx Larynx Trachea Bronchi Lungs
Define the Function of the Respiratory System
Supplies body with oxygen and removes carbon dioxide Provides an airway for respiration Moistens and warms inhaled air Filters and cleans inhaled air Serves as resonating chamber for speech Houses olfactory receptors
Define the Function of the Pharynx
Passageway for air and food
Define the Function of the Larynx
Air passageway
Prevents food from entering lower respiratory tract
Voice production
Define the Function of Surfactant
Reduces surface tension
Prevents the alveoli from collapsing
Asthma
A chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that causes the airways to spasm and swells periodically so that the airways narrow.
Bronchitis
Inflammation of the bronchial membranes
Carbon dioxide
Odorless, colorless gas formed in the tissues as a waste product, and expelled from the lungs