Respiratory system Flashcards
(24 cards)
Upper airway?
Nasopharynx, nasal air passage, pharynx, oropharynx, mouth, epiglottis
Lower Airway?
Trachea, alveoli, bronchioles, main bronchi, carina, lung, diapraghm
Nasopharynx:
upper section of pharynx that connects with the nasal cavity above the soft palate
Oropharynx:
Section of the pharynx at the back of the throat, from the soft palate to the U-shaped hyoid bone near base of tongue
Larynx (voicebox):
transition point from the upper airway to lower airway
Air entering through mouht?
moves more rapidly and directly resulting in less moist than air that enters through nose
Food/liquid/air travel proccess
food liquids and air all travel through the oropharynx however once reaching the laryngopharynx they must diverge.
Food and liquids continue posteriorly into the esophagus while air proceeds to the anteriorly positioned larynxand trachea (windpipe).
The larynx can’t tolerate solids or liquids and if come into contact will result in violent coughing and spasms.
Epiglottis purpose
when swallowing the epiglottis closes and keeps water and food from passing the wrong way and coming into contact with the larynx
while breathing it opens and allows air to pass into the larynx and trachea
How many parts are the right and left lung composed of?
right lung=3 portions (upper, middle, lower)
left lung= 2 portions (upper and lower)
Alveoli
Sit of gas exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen and is lined with a network of tiny blood vessels aka pulmonary capillaries that carry carbon dioxide from the body to lungs (for removal through exhalation) and oxygen from lungs to body (inhalation)
Process of inhalation?
The intercostal muscles and diaphragm both contract
Process of exhalation?
The intercostal muscles and diaphragm both relax
Which pleura covers the lungs to help them follow the motions of the chest wall, expanding and contracting?
visceral pleura
What pleura lines the chest wall to help with movement?
Parietal pleura
Visceral and parietal pleura movement?
a small amount of fluid is in between these to linings that helps permit smooth gliding of the tissues between the lung and the chest similar to how joints work.
What is the pleural space?
Potential space between the visceral an parietal pleura; described as “potential” because in normal conditions the space doesn’t exist. It only appears if blood or air leaks into it.
Diaphragm
Primary muscle of breathing. Forms the undersurface of the thorax, seperating the chest from the abdominal cavity. Contraction of this muscle (and intercostal muscles) bring air into the lungs, aka inhalation. Relaxation of these muscles expels air aka exhalation.
What is negative pressure breathing?
As the volume of the chest cavity increases, pressure in the cavity falls and air rushes into the lungs, air is essentially sucked into the lungs.
What is ventilation?
Simply the movement of air between the lungs and the environment
What is respirations?
Process of gas exchange, provides oxygen to cells and removes the waste product carbon dioxide. Also helps control the pH of blood.
Respiration flow
In the capillaries O2 passes from the blood to the tissue cells, and Co2 and waste pass from the tissue cells to the blood
Diffusion
Oxygen and carbon dioxide pass rapidly across these thin tissue layers though this process. A passive process in which molecules move from an area f high concentration (O2 in air) to low concentration (O2 in the bloodstream).
There are more O2 molecules in the alveoli than the blood so it moves from the alveoli into the blood. While CO2 is more abundant in the blood and moves into the alveoli.
What controls breathing?
The brainstem controls breathing. The brain automatically controls breathing if the level o C02 or )2 in the arterial blood is too low or high. Which is why you can’t hold your breath indefinitely.
