what’s the function fo the respiratory system?
Provide large surface area for gas exchange
Lungs & circulation evolved to overcome problems of diffusion - they work together to supply O2 and remove CO2
Acid-base balance
Speech, singing, coughing, sighing, clarinet etc
what is diffusion?
high to low concentration
How long does it take to diffuse across a synapse (0.1 um)?
5 us
How long does it take to diffuse across a cell (10 um)?
50 ms
How long does it take to diffuse across a small gap (1cm)?
13 hours
what’s involved in the human respiratory system?
nasal passage oral cavity pharynx larynx trachea bronchi lung heart ribs
what does the upper airway do?
filter out dust from the air and acts as a heat exchanger warming the air as it enters the lungs
whats the nasal turbinates?
bones that help to circulate air within the nasal cavity to help with filtering/heating and humidifying
what’s the voice box include?
Epiglottis and Larynx
what are the conducting airways?
Tracheobronchial tree
what is the respiratory tract lined with?
mucus covered ciliary epithelium
what does the cilia beat do?
allowed mucus to be carried up removing attached particles
what impairs ciliary beating?
cigarette smoke
how many alveoli are their?
300
How big is alveoli?
approx 250 µm diameter
what does the alveoli contain?
type I alveolar
type II alveolar (secretory) alveolar macrophage capillary endothelium
