Basic Organisation of Respiratory System Flashcards
What are airways?
air-filled spaces and tubes taking air from the outside to thealveoli
What are alveoli?
microscopic spaces
lined by very thin simple squamous epithelium through which oxygen and CO2exchange take place with the blood in a network of alveolar capillaries surrounding them
What is the pulmonary circuit?
bringing deoxygenated blood from theright ventricleof the heart via the pulmonary trunk andpulmonary arteries
What are the upper airways comprised of?
nasal cavities
nasopharynxabove the roof of the mouth
laryngopharynx(shared by the airway and the food way)
larynx
What is the larynx?
a valve that allows air into the lower airways but excludes liquids and solids.
What is the function of the nasal cavity?
inspired air passes through these warm, moist plates, becoming warmed and humidified on the way and so protecting the lower parts of the respiratory tract from cold shock and drying
during expiration, the nasal lining cools the expired air and also retrieves water by condensation (cooled initially due to air coming in)
What is the functions of the nasal mucus and hairs?
Filter air
Conserve water and heat
What is the consequence of water and heat conservation, and air filtration?
High resistance to flow
What happens in the nasal cavity during exercise?
nasal resistance to flow means that the respiratory muscles cannot propel air through the nose fast enough so open-mouth breathing takes over
Increased loss of water
Increased exposure to airborne particles
What comprises the lower airways?
trachea(a short tube from the larynx into the upper chest)
bronchi(branching tubes visible to the naked eye)
bronchioles(microscopic tubes, initially surrounded by smooth muscle)
Respiratory bronchioles
What are the wall of the larynx, trachea, and bronchi held open by?
Plates of cartilage (non minarlised connective tissue)
- Cartilage horseshoes and plates
What is the structure of the larynx?
- Cartilage
- Deficinet posterioly because oesophagus posterior
What are the nasal cavtities and pharynx held open by?
Attachment to nearby bones
What are the alvoeli and bronchioles held open by
Surfactant phospholipid
Reduces surface tension and prevents collapse
What are the lungs covered by?
Pleura
