Week 1 Flashcards
Anatomical functions of the nose
- Inhaled air warmed by conchae and septum
- Filtration and obstruction of foreign particles
- Assist with phonation and sensation of smell (CNI)
Anatomical structure of pharynx
- Connects nose, mouth, larynx and middle ear.
- Posterior oral structure.
Macintosh blade
Curved blade
Indirectly grabs/lifts epiglottis
-Vallecula is space anterior to the epiglottis at root of tongue. Where blade is place
MIller Blade
- Straight blade
- Directly grabs the epiglottis
Function of pharynx and tonsils
- assists phonation
- initiates deglutition (swallowing)
- defense against infectious pathogens
- enlarges with inflammation and tumor
Waldeyer’s Rings
- ringed arrangement of lymphoid tissue in pharynx
- includes palatine tonsil (what we normally think of tonsils) and lingual tonsil (at back of tongue)
Mallampati classification
- used to predict ease of endotracheal intubation
- Class 1-4
- Class 1-2: easier intubation
- Class 3-4 harder intubation
- Class 1: full view of uvula, tonsils pillars, and soft palate
- Class 2: partial view of uvula or uvular base, partial view of tonsils, soft palate
- Class 3: soft palate only
- Class 4: hard palate only
Glossoptosis
Collapse of oropharynx, tongue dropping posteriorly
Macroglossia is
Large tongue
Micrognathia
Small jaw, mandible
Prognathism
Protruding jaw, mandible
Microgenia
Small chin
Microstomia
Small mouth
Malocclusion
Upper protrusion “buck teeth”, overbite
Difference in anatomic location of larynx in adults vs children
- Adults: located anterior to 3rd-6th cervical vertebrae
- At birth: level at C3-4
Function of the Larynx
- Airway protective sphincter
- Closes off airway during swallowing
- Supports vocal cords
- modulates speech
- provides autoPEEP
What is the narrowest portion of the adult upper airway
Rima glottidis
-This is the opening between the true vocal cords and the arytenoid cartilages of the larynx
What are the 3 compartments of the larynx?
Supraglottis compartment: above vocal cords
- Epiglotis - False vocal cords
Glottis (Ventricle): at cords
- True vocal folds - Rima glottidis
Infraglottis Compartment: below cords
- Cricoid cartilage - Trachea
Arytenoid cartilage
Allows the vocal folds to be tensed, relaxed, or approximated
Extrinsic muscles of the larynx
- attach larynx to bone or pharynx
- move larynx during swallowing
Intrinsic larynx muscle sets
- two sets of intrinsic larynx muscles
- one set alter the size and shape of the larynx
- innervated by the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve (RLN)
- other set move the true vocal cords
- one set alter the size and shape of the larynx
In the second set of intrinsic larynx muscles, which one is not innervated by the RLN?
Cricothyroid
What are the functions of the extrinsic muscles of the larynx
- larynx moves upward during swallowing
- as the epiglottis goes down
3 important laryngeal membranes
- Thyroid membrane
- Quadrangular membrane
- Cricothyroid membrane
- inferior to true vocal cords
- emergency airway: where a cric would be completed
Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN)
- Vagus new branch (CN X)
- provides sensory innervation of infraglottis
- motor innervation to all of larynx except cricothyroid muscle
- Stimulation causes abduction of VC
- damage to RLN causes VC addiction
Superior Laryngeal Nerve
- Vagus nerve X
- Divides into 2 nerves
- Internal SLN: stimulation causes laryngospasm
- External SLN: motor innervation of cricothyroid muscle
Vallecula
- Space anterior to the epiglottis at root of tongue
- Where Mac blade indirectly lifts the epiglottis by placing pressure on the hyoepiglottic ligament
Epiglottis positioning
Breathing:
-positioned upright to allow air passage during inspiration
Swallowing
- epiglottis covers glottis to protect airway - larynx raised upward by muscular contractions - epiglottis pressed downward by base of tongue
Vocal cords
False vocal cords
- upper vestibular folds - close during swallowing
True vocal cords
-responsible for vocal sounds
Abduction of vocal cords
- move apart
- passive resting motion
- abduct during inspiration
- posterior cricoartynoid is only abductor muscle
- RLN stimulation opens vocal folds
This is the only abductor muscle of the vocal cords
Cricoarytenoid
Innervated by RLN
Adduction of vocal cords
- move together
- RLN responsible for adduction of VF
- SLN tenses the VF via the cricothyroid muscle
These airway structure are involved in the modification of sound
- pharynx/oral cavity
- tongue/lips
What role do the vocal cords play in sound modification?
- pitch
- control VC tension
- intensity
- loudness related to force of air passing through VC
Sellick Maneuver
- AKA cricoid pressure
- cricoid ring is a complete ring of cartilage found between the cricothyroid membrane and trachea.
- pressure placed on cricoid posteriorly closes the esophagus
What is purpose of cricoid pressure
- prevents gastric regurgitation
- aligns glottis opening during intubation
- prevents ventilation of air into stomach
What is the narrowest part of upper airway in children?
Cricoid ring
- cone shaped, narrowing inferiorly - until age 8 years
Reason why will sometimes use unruffled ETT’s in children
What are conduction airways?
- do not participate in gas exchange, ventilation, but not perfusion.
- portion of each breath wasted.
- anatomical dead space, portion of each breath is wasted ventilation