The Respiratory System Flashcards
What are the functions of the respiratory system?
Carry out breathing
Supply blood with oxygen for the circulatory system to deliver oxygen to au parts of the body
Exchange gases through inhalation of oxygen & exhalation of carbon dioxide
What is the airway route?
Nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli
What does the airway route have?
Cilicited mucous lining - acts as a cleaning mechanism:catches/stick, move out of curvwly
What happens to the intercostal muscles during inhalation?
They contracts which expands the ribcage.
What happens to the diaphragm during inhalation?
Contracts, pulling it downwards to increase volume of the chest.
What happens to the pressure during inhalation?
Lowered and cur is sucked into the lungs.
What happens in the intercostal muscles during exhalation?
Relax and the rib are drops inwards and downwards
What happens to the diaphragm during inhalation?
Relaxes, moving back upwards and decreasing volume in chest
What happens to pressure during exhalation?
Increases and forces air out
What happens when inhalation happens during exercise?
The external intercostal muscles contract more forcefully and muscles around the neck and chest contact to help increase the volume of air entering the lungs.
What happens when exhalation happens during exercise?
The internal intercostal muscles contract fully to help force air out more rapidly
What happens if there is a faster breathing rate?
More air enters and exits the body faster and in greater volumes
Where does oxygen move in gaseous exchange?
Down a concentration gradient, from the air in the alveoli
What does oxygen diffuse across?
Alveolar wall
Respiratory membrane
Capillary wall and into the red blood cells
What does oxygen attach to in the red blood cells?
Protein called haemoglobin
Where does carbon dioxide move in gaseous exchange?
Down the concentration gradient, in the opposite direction, from the red blood cell and blood plasma diffusing into the alveoli
What happens to the dissolved substances?
They will only continue to diffuse if there is a concentration gradient
What are structure factors to aid pulmonary diffusion?
Alveolar membrane is very thin - only a short diffusion distance
Lots of alveoli and spherical structure - large surface area maximising diffusion
Diameter of capillaries is slightly less than that of a red blood cell - they are formed to flow through the capillary in single file, maximising exposure to oxygen
Why does gaseous exchange happen at the muscle sites?
Oxygen and carbon dioxide have different concentrations
Where does carbon dioxide diffuse into?
Capillary
Where does oxygen diffuse into?
Muscle cells
What happens to the concentration gradient during exercise?
Much greater as the muscle cells are producing much more carbon dioxide
What is tidal volume?
Volume of air breathed in and out with each normal breath.
What is inspiratory reserve volume?
Maximum volume available for breathing in, decreases during exercise
