The Respiratory system: Anatomy Flashcards
Upper respiratory tract components
Nose , pharynx and larynx
Upper respiratory tract functions
Humidify and warm air
defence-mucus and cilia
sensory, speech
Lower respiratory tract components
Trachea, lungs and primary bronchi (first 2 branches from trachea)
Lower respiratory tract functions
GE
defence
metabolic
Trachea
Rings of cartilage surrounding it interspersed by smooth muscle which can constrict trachea and shut off air supply to lung- incr velocity flow with constriction
Parenchyma
Part of lungs involved in GE: alveoli, alveolar ducts and terminal ad respiratory bronchioles, pulmonary arteriole and vein
ie respiratory bronchioles down
Conducting zone
air passages
top of trachea to start of respiratory bronchioles
Lung branches
Tube divides up to 23x till get to terminal part of the lung
1st 15 or so just to get tubes to right place
Change from psuedostratified columnar in bronchi to cuboidal in terminal and respiratory bronchioles
LArge incr in volume for respiratory bronchioles
What type of blood supply do respiratory bronchioles have
Pulmonary
Airway resistance mathematically
1/resistance
1/radius^4
why is conduction summative
small airways make a small contribution to total resistance
Many respiratory bronchioles
What bronchioles have the largest influence over conduction
conducting zone ones
What happens in diseases
airway resistance increases
inflammation/thickening of airway wall eg in asthma
Tightened smooth muscles constrict airway
Obstruction with mucus
All these factors narrow airway
Get smooth muscle growth and fibrosis (thickening and scarring of connective tissue)
lung epithelium
lining cells in the airway
Bronchi epi
ciliated, goblet and glandular (good diagram)
Bronchioles epi
ciliated, non-ciliated, goblet , club cells (secretory)
Alveoli
Squamous, cuboidal
Airway innervation (conducting airways)- to and from CNS
Sensory afferent nerves from airway epithelium and smooth muscles signal to brain
Autonomic fibres to glandular epithelium and smooth muscles from CNS
Innervation parasympathetic/sympathetic?
Parasympathetic nervous system drives contraction
Parasympathetic branches of the vagus nerve
Little sympathetic innervation: B adrenoreceptors on airway smooth muscle stimulated by circulating adrenaline
Parasympathetic NS receptors
muscarinic and nicotinic cholinergic receptors.
Sympathetic NS receptors
alpha, beta 1 and beta 2