Upper and lower respiratory tract Flashcards
the upper respiratory tract consists of?
Nose
Pharynx
Larynx
The lower respiratory tract consists of?
Trachea primary bronchus secondary bronchus bronchioles terminal bronchioles respiratory bronchioles alveolus
What are alveoli?
Air sacks where the exchange of 02 and C02 in and out of the lungs and blood happens.
what happens to air in the nose cavities
Where air enters the body.
Nasal cavity is covered in respiratory mucus which warms and moistens the air.
Where and what are the olfactory receptors
Smell receptors in the nose
What is the structure/flow of the pharynx?
Both food and air travels down the Pharynx
3 sections: Nasopharynx,oropharynx, laryngopharynx
What happens in the larynx
Directs air past the vocal cords (glottis).
Laryngospasm
What are glottis and what do they do?
Vocal cords.
Air flows past them causing vibrations which turns into sound.
What is the epiglottis?
cartilage that is attached to the larynx that prevents food and water travelling down into the lower respiratory tract.
What is a laryngospasm?
Spasm of the laryngeal = sudden restriction of the airways when the vocal cord area and bellow are irritated by water/blood/mucus.
What is the structure of the Trachea?
Rigid due to ‘C’ shaped cartilage rings, which keep airways open.
Lined with cilliated columnar epilphial cells
The gap in the ‘C’ shape faces the posterior and is to allow the expansion of the oesophagus when filled with food.
Structure of the Bronchi?
Rigid from ‘C’ shaped cartilage.
Right Bronchus is wide and short
Left Bronchus is more horizontal to allow for the heart.
Lined with cilliated columnar epilphial cells
Inhaled objects more likely to go down the R Bronchi.
Where and what are pseudo-stratified columnar epithelium?
In the Trachea and Bronchi of the lower respiratory tract
Cilliated columnar epithelial cells + mucus producing goblet cells.
What effect does mucus have in the lower respiratory tract and how?
Antibacterial and traps debris.
contains proteins called mucins and enzymes called lysozyme which kill bacteria
How is debris removed from the lower respiratory tract and prevented from entering the lungs?
Cillia cells waft in the direction of from the lungs up to the trachea which moves debris to it can be coughed out or go down into the stomach to be destroyed by enzymes
