The breathing system

Question 1

Where are the lungs located?

Answer 1

In the thorax.

Question 2

What is the thorax?

Answer 2

The top part of your body.

Question 3

What is the lower part of the body called?

Answer 3

The abdomen.

Question 4

How are the top part and bottom part of the body separated?

Answer 4

By the diaphragm.

Question 5

What are the lungs used for?

Answer 5

To get oxygen from the air into your blood stream so that it can get to your cells for respiration. You also need to get rid of the carbon dioxide in your blood.

Question 6

What are the lungs protected by?

Answer 6

The ribcage (because the lungs are like big pink sponges).

Question 7

Where does the air go through that you breathe in ?

Answer 7

Through the traches.

Question 8

What is the traches split into?

Answer 8

Two tubes called bronchi (each one is a bronchus), one going to each lung.

Question 9

What do the bronchi get split into?

Answer 9

They progressively split into smaller tubes called bronchioles.

Question 10

Where do the bronchioles end?

Answer 10

They end at small bags called alveoli.

Question 11

What happens at the alveoli?

Answer 11

Gas exchange takes place.

Question 12

What is ventilation?

Answer 12

The movement of air into and out of the lungs (Breathing in and breathing out).

Question 13

What happens when we breathe in?

Answer 13

• Intercostal muscles and diaphragm contract
• Thorax volume increases
• This decreases the pressure, drawing air in

Question 14

What happens when we breathe out?

Answer 14

• Intercostal muscles and diaphragm relax
• Thorax volume decreases
• This increases the pressure, forcing air out

Question 15

What do artificial ventilators do?

Answer 15

They help people breathe.

Question 16

What are ventilators?

Answer 16

They are machines that move air (often with more oxygen) into or out of the lungs.

Question 17

Who do ventilators help?

Answer 17

People who cant breathe by themsleves, e.g.

• If they’re under general anesthetic.
• If they have a lung injury or disease.

Question 18

What were old ventilators like?

Answer 18

They used to be a giant case (an ‘iron lung’) from the neck to the abdomen with only the patients head poking out.

Question 19

How did ‘iron lungs’ work?

Answer 19

Air was pumped out of the case so pressure dropped then the lungs expanded causing air to be drawn into the lungs. Next when air was pumped into the lungs it had the opposite effect, forcing air out of the lungs.

Question 20

What problems did ‘iron lungs’ have?

Answer 20

They could interfere with blood flow to the lower body.

Question 21

How do ventilators work now?

Answer 21

By pumping air into the lungs, which expands the ribcage. When they stop pumping air the ribcage relaxes and pushes air back out of the lungs.

Question 22

What occasional damage can new ventilators cause?

Answer 22

They could burst the alveoli if the lungs cant cope with the artificial air flow.