The Respiratory System Flashcards
How is the respiratory system organized structurally?
Upper and lower respiratory tract
How is the respiratory system organized functionally?
Conduction (to and from lungs) and respiration (gas exchange)
What are the 3 shelves of the internal nose?
- Superior nasal choncha
- Middle nasal concha
- Inferior nasal choncha
What is the floor of the nasal cavity called?
Palate bone
What is the anterior boundary of the nasal cavity?
Maxillary bone
What are the paranasal sinuses?
Air filled paired cavities in ethmoid, sphenoid, frontal and maxillary bones
What are the 3 regions of the pharynx?
- Nasopharynx
- Oropharynx
- Laryngopharynx
Describe the nasopharynx
- Back of nose area
- 2 internal nares
- 2 Eustachian tubes
- 1 oropharynx
- Lined by pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium
Describe the oropharynx
- Back of mouth area
- Pharyngeal arch and uvula
Describe the laryngopharynx
Entrance to trachea and esophagus
What is the upper respiratory tract composed of?
- Nose + nasal cavity
- Paranasal sinuses
- Pharynx
What are the functions of the pharynx?
- Passageway for food + air
- Sound resonation
- Tonsils
What are the functions of the larynx?
- Production of sound
- Conduction of air to lower respiratory tract
- Protection from swallowed materials
What are the 3 unpaired cartilages of the larynx?
- Thyroid cartilage
- Cricoid cartilage
- Epiglottis
What are the 3 paired cartilages of the larynx?
- Arytenoid (hyaline)
- Corniculate (hyaline
- Cuneiform (elastic)
How does the larynx produce voice?
Ligaments are flexible in the fibrous connective tissue of arytenoid cartilage
What does the trachea split into?
2 main bronchi
What is the trachea composed of?
- Mucosal layer
- Submucosa
- Hyaline cartilage
What is the difference between the right and left bronchi?
- Right is shorter and wider
- Left is longer and thinner
What is the bronchi composed of?
Cartilage and smooth muscle
What is the carina?
The point where the trachea divides into primary bronchi
What is the hilus of the lung?
Where blood vessels, lymphatic nerves & airways enter and leave lungs
What do the primary bronchi branch into?
Secondary bronchi that supply each lobe of the lungs
The left lung has _ lobes whereas the right lung has _ lobes
2, 3
What do the secondary bronchi branch into?
Tertiary bronchi that supply each bronchopulmonary segment
What do the tertiary bronchi branch into?
Bronchioles
What do the bronchioles branch into?
Terminal bronchioles
What do the terminal bronchioles branch into?
Respiratory bronchioles
What do the respiratory bronchioles branch into?
Alveolar ducts
What do the alveolar ducts end in?
Alveolar sacs made of alveoli
What are the 2 types of alveoli cells?
Type I and type II
Describe type I alveolar cells
Simple squamous where gas exchange occurs
Describe type II alveolar cells
Secrete alveolar fluid containing surfactant
Describe respiratory distress syndrome
Premature babies lacking surfactant, causes alveoli to not inflate properly
What is the function of alveolar macrophages
Ingest debris in alveoli
What are the fissures dividing the lungs into lobes called?
Oblique and horizontal fissures
What is the cardiac notch?
A space in the left lung for the heart
Where is the base of the lung?
Bottom
Where is the apex of the lung?
Top
What are the 2 membranes of the pleura cavity from the outermost to innermost?
Parietal pleura, visceral pleura
What is the space between the 2 membranes called and what can be found there?
Intrapleural space and fluid
What are the 2 types of respiration?
External (lungs, tissue and blood) & internal (cellular)
What is pulmonary ventilation?
Movement of air into and out of respiratory tract
What is Boyle’s law?
P = 1/V
Describe the action of respiratory muscles during inhalation
Diaphragm contracts and external intercostals contract
Describe the action of respiratory muscles during inhalation
Diaphragm relaxes
What are 3 factors affecting pulmonary ventilation?
- Pulmonary compliance
- Airway resistance (obstructive)
- Mobility of the thoracic cage (restrictive)
The apneustic centre prevents ____________ neurons from being switched off.
inspiratory.
What are the 2 types of peripheral chemoreceptors and where are they located?
Carotid bodies: located in carotid sinus.
Aortic bodies: located in aortic arch.
What are 5 factors affecting ventilation unrelated to gas exchange?
- Protective reflexes (coughing, sneezing, etc).
- Inhaling noxious agents may cause you to stop breathing.
- Pain anywhere in the body stimulates respiration by reflex.
- Emotional states causing involuntary changes in breathing.
- Swallowing causes respiratory centre inhibition.
The ___________ centres are antagonists to the apneustic centre because:
pneumotaxic; they cause shorter inhalations (apneustic centre promotes long, deep inhalations).
Which 3 higher-order brain structures regulate breathing?
Cerebral cortex.
Limbic system.
Hypothalamus.
Which brain structure is responsible for basic respiratory control?
The medulla oblongata.
Why is respiration so critical to maintaining our body’s acid-base balance?
Gas exchange determines the concentration of acidic (H+) and basic (HCO3-) ions in our blood.
When blood pH is below 7.4, it is considered:
acidosis.
When blood pH is above 7.4, it is considered:
alkalosis.
Respiratory acidosis and alkalosis are determined by measuring:
pCO2.
Metabolic acidosis & alkalosis are determined by measuring:
Concentration of HCO3-.
