The Lungs Flashcards
What is the thorax?
It is the top part of your body.
How is the thorax separated from the lower part of the body?
From the diaphragm.
What are the lungs protected by?
They are protected by the ribcage that are surrounded by pleural membranes.
What is the trachea?
It is the windpipe that splits into two tubes called bronchi.
What does the bronchi eventually split into?
It splits into smaller tubes called bronchioles.
Where do the bronchioles end?
They end at small bags called alveoli.
What does alveoli carry out?
It carries out gas exchange in the body.
How does alveoli carry out gas exchange in the body?
1) The lungs contain millions of air sacs called alveoli surrounded by a network of blood capillaries - this is where gas exchange happens.
2) The blood passing next to the alveoli has just returned to the lungs from the rest of the body, so it contains lots of carbon dioxide and very little oxygen. Oxygen diffuses out of the alveolus (high conc) into the blood (low conc). Carbon dioxide diffuses out of the blood (high conc) into the alveolus (low conc) to be breathed out.
3) When the blood reaches body cells, oxygen is released from the red blood cells (high conc) and diffuses into the body cells (low conc.)
4) At the same time, carbon dioxide diffuses out of the body cells (high conc) into the blood (low conc). It is then carried back to the lungs.
