Upgrade to remove ads
Only $35.99/year

The respiratory system

Terms in this set (31)

Identify several functions of the respiratory system
Functions of the respiratory system include providing an extensive surface area for gas exchange between air and circulating blood;
moving air to and from exchange surfaces along the respiratory passageways;
protecting respiratory surfaces from dehydration, temperature changes, and pathogens;
producing sounds;
and detecting odors.
List the two anatomical divisions of the respiratory system
The two anatomical divisions of the respiratory system are the upper respiratory system and the lower respiratory system.
What membrane lines the conducting portion of the respiratory tract?
respiratory mucosa
Name the structures in the upper respiratory system
nose, nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, pharynx
Why is the vascularization of the nasal cavity important?
The rich vascularization of the nose delivers body heat to the nasal cavity, so inhaled air is warmed before it leaves the nasal cavity and moves toward the lungs. The heat also evaporates moisture from the epithelium to humidify the incoming air.
Why is the lining of the nasopharynx different from that of the oropharynx and the laryngopharynx?
The lining of the nasopharynx, which receives only air from the nasal cavity, is the same as that of the nasal cavity: a pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium. Because the oropharynx and laryngopharynx receive both air from the nasal cavity and potentially abrasive food from the oral cavity, they have a more highly protective lining: a stratified squamous epithelium like that of the skin.
Identify the unpaired and paired cartilages associated with the larynx.
The unpaired laryngeal cartilages include the thyroid cartilage, cricoid cartilage, and epiglottis. The paired cartilages are the arytenoid cartilages, corniculate cartilages, and cuneiform cartilages.
List the functions of the trachea
The trachea transports air between the larynx and primary bronchi, cila and the muscus produced by epithelial cells also protect the respiratory tree by trapping inhaled debris and sweeping it toward the pharynx, where it is removed through coughing or swallowing.
Why are the cartilages that reinforce the trachea C-shaped?
to allow room for esophageal expansion
If food accidentally enters the bronchi, in which bronchus is it more likely to lodge? Why?
in the right bronchus because it is slightly larger and more vertical than the left bronchus.
What would happen to the alveoli if surfactant were not produced?
The alveoli would collapse because of the normally high surface tension of the water coating the alveolar surfaces.
Trace the path air takes in flowing from the glottis to the respiratory membrane.
larynx-> primary bronchus->lungs->bronchi->bronchioles->terminal bronchiole->respiratory bronchiole->alveolar duct->alveolar sac->alveolus->blood air barrier
Which arteries supply to the gas-exchange surfaces and conducting portions of the respiratory system?
The pulmonary artery
List the functions of the pleura
The pleura is a serous membrane that secretes pleural fluid, which lubricates the opposing parietal and visceral surfaces to prevent friction during breathing.
Define external respiration
Exchange between alveoli and blood capillaries
Define internal respiration
Exchange between blood capillaries and body tissues
Name the integrated steps involved in external respiration.
pulmonary ventilation (breathing),
gas diffusion across the blood air barrier,
and the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Define compliance and identify the factors that affect it.
Compliance is the ease with which the lungs expand. Factors affecting compliance include
(a) the connective tissue structure of the lungs,
(b) the level of surfactant production, and
(c) the mobility of the thoracic cage.
Name the various measurable pulmonary volumes.
The pulmonary volumes are resting tidal volume (Vt), expiratory reserve volume (ERV), residual volume, and inspiratory reserve volume (IRV).
Mark breaks a rib that punctures the chest wall on his left side. What do you expect will happen to his left lung as a result?
when the rib penetrates Mark's chest wall, atmospheric air enters his thoracic cavity, raising the pressure within the pleural cavity. as a result, the natural elasticity of the lung may cause the lung to collapse, a condition called atelectasis.
In pneumonia, fluid accumulates in the alveoli of the lungs. How would this accumulation affect vital capacity?
vital capacity would decrease
Define Dalton's Law
Dalton's law states that each gas in a mixture exerts a pressure equal to its relative abundance.
Define Henry's law
Concentration equals the partial pressure times the constant
Identify the three ways that carbon dioxide is transported in the bloodstream
Carbon dioxide is transported in the bloodstream as bicarbonate ions, bound to hemoglobin, or dissolved in the plasma.
As you exercise, hemoglobin releases more oxygen to active skeletal muscles than it does when those muscles are at rest. Why?
The combination of increased temperature and lower pH (from heat and acidic waste products generated by active skeletal muscles) causes hemoglobin to release more oxygen then when the body is at rest.
How would blockage of the trachea affect blood pH?
it would decrease pH because oxygen would not be able to get in and there would be a lot of carbon dioxide in the blood
What effect does exciting the pneumotaxic centers have on respiration
Exciting the pneumotaxic centers would inhibit the inspiratory and apneustic centers, which would result in shorter and more rapid breaths.
Are peripheral chemoreceptors as sensitive to levels of carbon dioxide as they are to levels of oxygen?
Peripheral chemoreceptors are more sensitive to carbon dioxide levels than to oxygen levels. When carbon dioxide dissolves, it produces hydrogen ions, thereby lowering pH and altering cell or tissue activity.
Little Johnny is angry with his mother, so he tells her that he will hold his breath until he turns blue and dies. Should Johnny's mother worry that this will happen?
Johnny's mother should not worry. When Johnny holds his breath, carbon dioxide levels in his blood increase, causing increased stimulation of the inspiratory centers, forcing him to breathe again.
Name several age-related factors that affect the respiratory system.
Aging results in deterioration of elastic tissue, arthritic changes that stiffen rib articulations, decreased flexibility at costal cartilages, decreased vital capacity, and some degree of emphysema.
Identify the functional relationship between the respiratory system and all other organ systems
The respiratory system provides oxygen and eliminates carbon dioxide for all body systems.
Students also viewed