The Respiratory System

Look at each part & see how they go together and what they look like

Know your basic parts

Major Function of Resp. System

Supply the body with Oxygen Dispose of Carbon dioxide

Functional Anatomy – 2 zones

Respiratory zone: Actual site of gas

exchange (some exchange -

Respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts) alveoli (major site)

Functional Anatomy – 2 zones

Conducting zone: Conduits – purify,

humidify, and warm incoming air

Include all other respiratory passageways

Nose – 5 functions Provide airway for

respiration Moisten & warm air Filter air (mucus & cilia)

(breath in thru nose & out thru mouth)

Site of olfactory (smell) receptors

Resonating chamber for sound waves (hold your nose closed & see how you sound!)

Cilia & Goblet CellsMucus traps the “junk” and the cilia sweeps it up toward your throat so you can swallow it or spit it out.

Smoking kills cilia so smoker’s constantly have to cough to clear the mucus out!

Cold day = Runny nose

The cilia in your nose become sluggish & slow when they are cold & do not move the mucus down into your throat

Mucus in the nasal cavity accumulates & dribbles out

Nasal Conchae Nasal Conchae aka.

NasalTurbinates= increase SA of mucosa exposed to air to help warm & filter it – also increase turbulence (mini tornado effect) of air – more inhaled particles swirled onto mucus and trapped

Nasal Cavity Nasal cavity

separated from oral cavity by the palate (roof of mouth) Anterior – hard

palate Posterior – soft

palate

Paranasal sinuses functions

Lighten skull Act a resonance chamber Produce mucus

Chronic Sinusitis

Check this out! (do not try this at home or in this classroom!)

The Human Blockhead

Click through the different pages to see all the info

Pharynx – 3 basic parts Pharynx serves as common passageway

for food (& fluids) and air.

Color code the 3 parts of the pharynx on the diagram in your notes

The names give you location clues!

Pharynx – 3 basic parts

Nasopharynx – air only During swallowing, Soft palate & uvula rise

upward to close off nasopharynx which prevents food & fluids from entering it

Oropharynx & Laryngopharynx – food, liquids & air Food will be directed posteriorly to the

esophagus Air will go anteriorly into the larynx

Tonsils (think about the name – it tells you the location)

Pharyngeal tonsils: aka. Adenoids – located in nasopharynx

Palatine tonsils: located in oropharynx Lingual tonsils: located at base of tongue All tonsils are lymph nodes & work with

immune system You will be labeling these on the back

page diagram

Larynx – 3 Functions

Provides patent (open) airway Act as a switching mechanism (between

respiratory & digestive systems) Voice production (location of vocal cords)

Adam’s apple

Know this: Laryngeal prominence on the thyroid cartilage

Seen externally as Adam’s apple

Larynx – Label diagram on pg 4 now

Epiglottis

9th cartilage When air is flowing into the larynx – free

edge projects upward During swallowing:

Larynx is pulled upward Epiglottis is tipped back and down to cover

laryngeal inlet into trachea Routes food/fluid into esophagus

Cough Reflex

Initiated if anything other than air enters the larynx

Pressure from air moves object upward out of the larynx Reflex does not work when unconscious so

not a good idea: To give fluids to an unconscious person Also a reason why people in an alcoholic

coma often die from aspirating their own vomit.

Trachea (Windpipe) The ciliated

mucosa (mucociliary escalator) continuously propels the mucus which contains dust particles and debris to the throat so it can be expelled or swallowed.

Smoking

Diminishes ciliary activity Coughing is ONLY method of preventing

mucus accumulation in the lungs Smokers should never be given

medications that INHIBIT the cough reflex.

Some Effects of Smoking

Reinforcement

Trachea is reinforced internally by 16-20 C shaped rings (Be able to explain – see diagram on next slide also)

Outer portion of C – causes trachea to stay patent (open) and not collapse

Inner portion (open part) of C – allow trachea to be flexible and gives esophagus a place to expand into upon swallowing.

Trachea must be flexible yet stay patent (open)

Heimlich manuver is the same principle as a cough

Used to press air out of lungs in case someone cannot inhale to initiate a cough

Tracheostomy

-ostomy = cut a hole into Used in cases of:

Abnormalities Cancers Obstructions Injuries to area Etc.

Bronchial Tree

Trachea divides into right and left primary bronchi at the level of the sternal angle (where manubrium and body of sternum meet).

Inhaled objects usually lodge in the right primary bronchus since it is wider, shorter, and at a more vertical angle

Lungs

Left lung is smaller, consisting of 2 lobes and contains a cardiac notch

Right lung has 3 lobes FYI: Bronchopulmonary segments

Served by own artery, vein, and individual segmental bronchus

Left lung has 8 segments while right lung has 10.

FYI: Important Info

Respiratory therapists and surgeons use this info about the different bronchopulmonary segments so they can treat the patient as needed Even to the point of removing the diseased

segment and leaving the good tissue

The lungs weigh approximately 2.5 pounds

Pleurae: Review

Parietal vs. visceral Function of pleural fluid

Lubricate layers so they can slide across each other

Cause them to cling tightly to each other through surface tension (helps maintain pressure differences necessary for inhaling/exhaling)

Respiratory Zone Structures

Begins as the terminal bronchioles which feed into the respiratory bronchioles which end in the alveoli chambers where gas exchange (external respiration) takes place.

Alveoli

Composed of simple squamous – much thinner than a sheet of paper

Membrane has gas on one side and blood on the other.

Account for the largest portion of lung volume and provide a tremendous surface area for gas exchange

Alveoli Gas exchanges occur through simple diffusion Approximate surface area = 50-70 square

meters (40x greater than skin SA) A moist membrane is required so the TYPE II

cuboidal cells secrete a substance called surfactant that coats the membrane & interferes with surface tension.

Page 4 diagram

Use the text book or the internet to label the head diagram

Label only the ones that have a dot on the end.

Be very specific about the structures.