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The Respiratory System

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26 views

The Respiratory System

Uploaded by

Nada Ronald
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Respiratory System - Structure and Function

 The respiratory system is the system in the human body that enables us to breathe.
 The act of breathing includes: inhaling and exhaling air in the body; the absorption of
oxygen from the air in order to produce energy; the discharge of carbon dioxide, which is
the byproduct of the process.

The parts of the respiratory system

The respiratory system is divided into two parts:

Upper respiratory tract:


This includes the nose, mouth, and the beginning of the trachea (the section that takes air in and
lets it out).

 The nose consists of the visible external nose and the internal nasal cavity.

 The nasal septum divides the nasal cavity into right and left sides.

 Air enters two openings, the external nares (nostrils; singular, naris), and passes into the
vestibule and through passages called meatuses.

 The bony walls of the meatuses, called concha, are formed by facial bones (the inferior
nasal concha and the ethmoid bone).

 From the meatuses, air then funnels into two (left and right) internal nares. Hair, mucus,
blood capillaries, and cilia that line the nasal cavity filter, moisten, warm, and eliminate
debris from the passing air.
 The pharynx (throat) consists of the following three regions, listed in order through which
incoming air passes:

o The nasopharynx receives the incoming air from the two internal nares. The two
auditory tubes that equalize air pressure in the middle ear also enter here. The
pharyngeal tonsil (adenoid) lies at the back of the nasopharynx.

o The oropharyrnx receives air from the nasopharynx and food from the oral cavity.

o The laryngopharynx passes food to the esophagus and air to the larynx.

 The larynx receives air from the laryngopharynx. It consists of several pieces of cartilage
that are joined by membranes and ligaments

Lower respiratory tract:

This includes the trachea, the bronchi, bronchioles and the lungs (the act of breathing takes

place in this part of the system).

The organs of the lower respiratory tract are located in the chest cavity. They are delineated and

protected by the ribcage, the chest bone (sternum), and the muscles between the ribs and the

diaphragm (that constitute a muscular partition between the chest and the abdominal cavity)

The trachea – the tube connecting the throat to the bronchi.


The bronchi – the trachea divides into two bronchi (tubes). One leads to the left lung, the other to
the right lung. Inside the lungs each of the bronchi divides into smaller bronchi.

The broncheoli - the bronchi branches off into smaller tubes called broncheoli which end in the
pulmonary alveolus.

Pulmonary alveoli – tiny sacs (air sacs) delineated by a single-layer membrane with blood
capillaries at the other end.

The exchange of gases takes place through the membrane of the pulmonary alveolus, which
always contains air: oxygen (O2) is absorbed from the air into the blood capillaries and the action
of the heart circulates it through all the tissues in the body. At the same time, carbon dioxide
(CO2) is transmitted from the blood capillaries into the alveoli and then expelled through the
bronchi and the upper respiratory tract.

The inner surface of the lungs where the exchange of gases takes place is very large, due to the
structure of the air sacs of the alveoli.

The lungs – a pair of organs found in all vertebrates.

 The two lungs, which contain all the components of the bronchial tree beyond the primary
bronchi, occupy most of the space in the thoracic cavity.
 The lungs are soft and spongy because they are mostly air spaces surrounded by the
alveolar cells and elastic connective tissue.
 They are separated from each other by the mediastinum, which contains the heart. The
only point of attachment for each lung is at the hilum, or root, on the medial side.
 This is where the bronchi, blood vessels, lymphatics, and nerves enter the lungs.

The right lung

 The right lung is shorter, broader, and has a greater volume than the left lung.
 It is divided into three lobes and each lobe is supplied by one of the secondary bronchi.
 The left lung is longer and narrower than the right lung.
 It has an indentation, called the cardiac notch, on its medial surface for the apex of the
heart.
The left lung has two lobes.

 Each lung is enclosed by a double-layered serous membrane, called the pleura.


 The visceral pleura is firmly attached to the surface of the lung.
 At the hilum, the visceral pleura is continuous with the parietal pleura that lines the wall of
the thorax.
 The small space between the visceral and parietal pleurae is the pleural cavity.
 It contains a thin film of serous fluid that is produced by the pleura. The fluid acts as a
lubricant to reduce friction as the two layers
slide against each other, and it helps to hold the two layers together as the lungs inflate and deflate.

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