Respiratory System Flashcards
what is the respiratory system comprised of
nose, nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea, and bronchi and their smaller branches, the lungs, and alveoli
what does the nose do?
provides an airway to breathe (moistening, warming, and filtering inspired air), serves as resonating chamber for speech and houses the smell receptors
what is the pharynx
divided into three regions
nasopharynx- air passageway
oropharynx- air and food passageway
laryngopharynx- air and food passageway
what is the larynx
aka voice box, in addition to voice production it helps provide an open (patent) airway and to act as a switching mechanism to route air and food into proper channels via the epiglottis
what is the trachea
in the mediastinal region and splits into two bronchi (at the carina) which enter the lungs.
how many lobes does the left lung have
two
how many lobes does the right lung have
three
what are bronchioles
part of smallest branch of bronchial tree, each of the bronchioles narrow further until they end in a tiny pouch called an aveolar sac
what does an aveolar sac do
exchanges gases across a single cell layer to tissue into the pulmonary circulation, capillaries from the pulmonary circulation form a bed around each alveoli, this gas is exchanged in a process known as diffusion