Respiratory System

By: Madiha Saleem

RM, BSN, MSN(Scholar) DIONAM DUHS

Dow University of Health Sciences

 Objectives
At the end of this session learner will be able to:
• Define respiratory system.
• Define respiration.
• Describe the structure and the function of following
• The upper respiratory tract (Nose, Pharynx, Larynx)
• The lower respiratory tract (Trachea, Bronchial
tree, lungs)
• Discuss the physiology of respiration by explaining
the mechanism of Pulmonary Ventilation External
Respiration Internal Respiration
• Discuss nervous control of respiration
• Briefly discuss the lung volumes & capacities
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Respiratory System

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Respiratory System

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Respiratory System

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 Respiratory System
• The respiratory system contributes to
homeostasis by providing for the
exchange of gasses, oxygen and
carbon dioxide between the
atmospheric air, blood, and tissue
cells.

• It also helps adjust the PH of body

fluids.
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 Respiratory System
Respiratory system consist of:
 Nose
 Pharynx (Throat)
Larynx (Voice Box)
 Trachea (Wind Pipe)
 Bronchi
 Lungs

Its parts can be classified according to either

structure and function
 Respiratory System
Structurally respiratory system consist of
two parts
The upper Respiratory System
• Nose
• Pharynx
• Associate structure
The Lower Respiratory System
• Larynx (Voice Box)
• Trachea (Wind Pipe)
• Bronchi
• lungs

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 Respiratory System
Functionally, the reparatory system is consists
of:

 The Conducting zone

 The Respiratory zone

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 The Conducting Zone
The conducting zone consist on:
• Nose
• Pharynx
• Larynx
• Trachea
• Bronchi
• Bronchioles
• Terminal Bronchioles
Function
( Warm and filter the air)

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 The Respiratory Zone
• Respiratory Bronchioles
• Alveolar ducts
• Alveolar sac
• Alveoli

Function
(Gas exchanges between air and blood)

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 Nose
• Nose can be divided into external and internal
portions.
External Nose
• The external nose consists of a supporting
framework of bone and hyaline cartilage.
• Frontal bone, nasal bone, maxillae form bony
framework of the external nose.
• The cartilages framework of external nose consists
of:
• Septal cartilages
• Lateral nasal cartilages
• Alar cartilages

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 Internal Nose
• Internal nose is a large cavity in the anterior
aspects of the skull.
• It lies interior to nasal bone and superior to
mouth.
• It lined with muscle and mucous membrane
• The space between internal nose is called
nasal cavity.
• Interior portion of the nasal cavity just inside
the nostrils called vestibule.

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 Internal Nose

• Mucous secreted by the goblet cells

moistens the air and traps the air particles.

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Olfactory Nerve

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 Nose

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 Nose

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 Nose

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 Pharynx
• It is funnel shaped tube about 13cm long.
• It starts at the internal nares and extends to the
level of cricoid cartilage.
• The pharynx lies just posterior to the nasal and oral
cavities, superior to the larynx and just anterior to
the cervical vertebrae.
• The pharynx function as a passageway for air and
food.
• Provide a resonating chamber for speech sound,
and houses the tonsils which participate in
immunological reaction against foreign invader.

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 Pharynx
• Pharynx can be divided into three
anatomical regions.

• Nasopharynx (Superior portion)

• Oropharynx (Intermediate portion)
• Laryngopharynx (Inferior portion)

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 Pharynx

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 Larynx
• Larynx or voice box is a short passageway
that connects the laryngopharynx with
trachea.

• It lies on the midline of neck anterior to

esophagus and through C4th to C6th cervical
vertebrae.

• The wall of larynx is composed of nine

pieces of cartilage.

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 Larynx
Three cartilages occurs singly
• Thyroid cartilage (Adam s Apple)
• Epiglottis (leaf shaped)
• Cricoid cartilage (Ring like)
Three cartilages occurs in paired
• Arytenoid Triangular pieces
• Cuneiform (horn shaped)
• Corniculate cartilage (club shaped)
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 Thyroid Cartilage (Adam s Apple)

• The thyroid cartilage consist of two fused

plates of hyaline cartilage that form the
anterior wall of the larynx and give it a
triangular shape.

• It present in both male and females but is

usually larger in males due to the influence
of male sex hormones on its growth during
puberty.

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Epiglottis

• It is large leaf like piece of elastic cartilage

and covered with epithelium
• During the swallowing, the pharynx and
larynx rise.
• Elevation of pharynx widens it to receive
food or drink
• Elevation of larynx causes the epiglottis to
move down and form a lid over glottis,
closing it off.

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Cricoid Cartilage

• It is a ring of hyaline cartilage and forms the

inferior wall of the larynx.

Arytenoid Cartilage
• It is paired Arytenoid Cartilages
• It is triangular pieces of hyaline cartilages.
• They attach the vocal folds and intrinsic
pharyngeal muscles

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Cuneiform Cartilage

• Club shaped elastic cartilages anterior to

the corniculate cartilage support the vocal
folds and lateral aspects of the epiglottis.
Corniculate Cartilage
• Horn shaped pieces of elastic cartilage
are located at the apex of each
arytenoid cartilage.
• They are supporting structure of for
the epiglottis.
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 Trachea
• The trachea or windpipe is a tubular
passageway for air that is about 12cm long
and 2.5cm in diameter.

• The 16-20 incomplete horizontal rings of

hyaline cartilage resemblance the letter C.

• It is located anterior to the esophagus and

extends from the larynx to the superior
border of the fifth thoracic vertebra where
divided into right and left primary bronchi.
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 Bronchi
• At the superior border of the 5th thoracic
vertebrae, trachea divides into right primary
bronchi and left primary bronchi which goes
into lungs.
• The right bronchi is more vertical, shorter,
wider than left primary bronchi.
• It is lined by pseudostratified ciliated
columnar epithelium.
• At the point where trachea divides into right
and left is known as carina.
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 Bronchi
• The primary bronchi divides into secondary
bronchi (Lobar bronchi.
• The secondary bronchi divides into 9 or 10
tertiary bronchi (Segmental bronchi)
• Tertiary bronchi divides into bronchioles.
• Bronchioles divides into terminal
bronchioles.
• The terminal bronchioles divides into
respiratory bronchioles.
• This extensive branching is known as
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Alveolar Ducts

• Respiratory bronchioles open into expensive

chambers called Alveolar ducts.
• These passageway ends at alveolar sacs.

Alveolar Sacs
• It is common chambers connected to
individual alveoli

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Alveoli

 Alveoli is a cup shaped out pouching lined

by simple squamous epithelium.
Alveolar Cells
Type I alveolar cells:
It is simple squamous epithelial cells.
It is main sites of gas exchange.

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Type II Alveolar Cells:
• It is also known as septal cells.
• Rounded cuboidal epithelial cells.
• It secretes the alveolar fluid, which moist the air.
• It produces the surfactant.
• Surfactant is complex mixture of phospholipids
and lipoprotein.
• Surfactant lowers the surface tension of alveolar
fluid, which reduces the tendency of alveoli to
collapse.
Alveolar Macrophages (Duct Cells):
It removes the fine dust or other debris from the
alveolar sacs
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Respiratory Zone of Lower Respiratory
Tract

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 Lungs
• Lungs are paired, cone-shaped organs in the
thoracic cavity.
• They are separated from each other by the heart
and other structures in the mediastinum.
• The outer covering of lungs is called pleura.
• Pleura is composed of pleural membrane.
• Pleural membrane has two layers
• Partial pleura
• Visceral pleura
• Pleural fluid lubricates the both membranes and
prevents from friction

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 Lungs

• Lungs extend from the diaphragm to just

slightly superior to the clavicles and lie
against the ribs anteriorly and posteriorly.

• Broad inferior portion is base which is

concave.

• Narrow superior portion is called apex.

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 Blood Supply to Lungs

• Pulmonary arteries

• Pulmonary vein

• Bronchial arteries( it the branch of aorta

which deliver the blood to the lungs)

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 Respiratory System Functions

• Transfer of O2 (Oxygen) from atmosphere to

tissues

• Transfer the CO2 ( Carbon Dioxide) from the

tissues to the air

• Produces sound

• Contains receptors for smell

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 Respiratory Events

• Pulmonary ventilation = exchange of gases

between lungs and atmosphere

• External respiration = exchange of gases

between alveoli and pulmonary capillaries

• Internal respiration = exchange of gases

between systemic capillaries and tissue cells

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Nervous Control of Respiration

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 Lungs Volumes and Capacities
• A Healthy adult averages 12 breaths a minutes with
each inhalation and exhalation moving about 500ml
of air into and out of the lungs.
• The volume of one breath is called the tidal volume
(VT).
• The minute ventilation (MV) the total volume of air
inhaled and exhaled each minutes is respiratory
rate multiplied by tidal volume.
MV= 12 Breaths/min * 500 mL/Breath
=6 liters/min

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 Lungs Volumes and Capacities
• Lung capacities are combination of specific lung volumes.
• Inspiratory capacity is the sum of tidal volume and inspiratory
reserve (500mL + 3100mL = 3600mL in males and 500mL +
1900mL=2400mL in female)

• Functional residual capacity is the sum of residual volume and

expiratory reserve volume (1200mL+1200mL = 2400mL in males and
1100mL + 700 mL = 1800mL in Females)

• Vital Capacity is the sum of inspiratory reserve volume, tidal volume,

and expiratory reserve volume(4800mL In males and 3100mL in
females)

• Total Lung Capacity is the sum of vital capacity and residual volume
(4800mL + 1200mL = 6000mL in males and 3100mL+1100mL=4200mL
in females)

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Overview of Respiratory System

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 References

• Tortora, J. G., Derrichson, B. (2006).Principles of Anatomy

and Physiology. (11th ed). USA: New York. John Willey 7 sons ,
Inc.

• Martini, H. F. (200). Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology.

(2nd ed). USA: New Jersey. Prentice Hall.

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