Anatomy of Respiratory

System
Organization and
Functions of the
Respiratory System
 Consists of an upper respiratory tract (nose to
larynx) and a lower respiratory tract ( trachea
donwards) .
 Conducting portion transports air.
- includes the nose, nasal cavity, pharynx,
larynx, trachea, and progressively smaller
airways, from the primary bronchi to the terminal
bronchioles
 Respiratory portion carries out gas exchange.
- composed of small airways called respiratory
bronchioles and alveolar ducts as well as air sacs
called alveoli
Respiratory System
Functions
1. supplies the body with oxygen and
disposes of carbon dioxide
2. filters inspired air
3. produces sound
4. contains receptors for smell
5. rids the body of some excess water and
heat
6. helps regulate blood pH
Upper Respiratory Tract
 Composed of the nose and nasal
cavity, paranasal sinuses, pharynx
(throat), larynx.
 All part of the conducting portion
of the respiratory system.
Respiratory mucosa
 A layer of pseudostratified
ciliated columnar epithelial
cells that secrete mucus
 Found in nose, sinuses, pharynx,
larynx and trachea
 Mucus can trap contaminants

Cilia move mucus up towards
mouth
Upper Respiratory Tract
Structure of the Nose
 The nose is divided into two regions
 The external nose, including the root,
bridge, dorsum nasi, and apex
 The internal nasal cavity

Respiratory System 9
Paranasal Sinuses
 Four bones of the skull contain paired air
spaces called the paranasal sinuses -
frontal, ethmoidal, sphenoidal,
maxillary
 Decrease skull bone weight
 Warm, moisten and filter incoming air
 Add resonance to voice.
 Communicate with the nasal cavity by ducts.
 Lined by pseudostratified ciliated
columnar epithelium.
Paranasal sinuses
Pharynx
 Common space used by both the
respiratory and digestive systems.
 Commonly called the throat.
 Originates posterior to the nasal and
oral cavities and extends inferiorly
near the level of the bifurcation of
the larynx and esophagus.
 Common pathway for both air and
food.
Pharynx
 Walls are lined by a mucosa and contain
skeletal muscles that are primarily used for
swallowing.
 Flexible lateral walls are distensible in order
to force swallowed food into the esophagus.
 Partitioned into three adjoining regions:
nasopharynx
oropharynx
laryngopharynx
Lower Respiratory Tract
 Conducting airways (trachea,
bronchi, up to terminal
bronchioles).
 Respiratory portion of the
respiratory system (respiratory
bronchioles, alveolar ducts, and
alveoli).
Larynx
 Voice box is a short, somewhat cylindrical
airway ends in the trachea.
 Prevents swallowed materials from entering
the lower respiratory tract.
 Conducts air into the lower respiratory tract.
 Produces sounds.
 Supported by a framework of nine pieces of
cartilage (three individual pieces and three
cartilage pairs) that are held in place by
ligaments and muscles.
Conducting zone of lower
respiratory tract
Trachea
 A flexible tube also called windpipe.
 Extends through the mediastinum and lies anterior
to the esophagus and inferior to the larynx.
 Anterior and lateral walls of the trachea supported
by 15 to 20 C-shaped tracheal cartilages.
 Cartilage rings reinforce and provide rigidity to the
tracheal wall to ensure that the trachea remains
open at all times
 Posterior part of tube completed by trachealis
muscle
 Lined by ciliated pseudostratified columnar
ciliated epithelium.
Trachea
 At the level of the sternal angle, the
trachea bifurcates into two smaller tubes,
called the right and left primary
bronchi.
 Each primary bronchus projects laterally
toward each lung.
 The most inferior tracheal cartilage
separates the primary bronchi at their
origin and forms an internal ridge called
the carina.
Bronchial tree
 A highly branched system of air-conducting
passages that originate from the left and right
primary bronchi.
 Incomplete rings of hyaline cartilage
support the walls of the primary bronchi to
ensure that they remain open.
 Right primary bronchus is shorter, wider, and
more vertically oriented than the left primary
bronchus.
 Foreign particles are more likely to lodge in
the right primary bronchus.
Bronchial tree
 The primary bronchi enter the hilum of each
lung together with the pulmonary vessels,
lymphatic vessels, and nerves.
 Each primary bronchus branches into several
secondary bronchi (or lobar bronchi).
 The left lung has two secondary bronchi.The
right lung has three secondary bronchi.
 They further divide into tertiary bronchi.
 Each tertiary bronchus is called a segmental
bronchus because it supplies a part of the lung
called a bronchopulmonary segment.
Respiratory Zone of Lower Respiratory
Tract
Conduction vs. Respiratory
zones
 Most of the tubing in the lungs makes up
conduction zone
 Consists of nasal cavity to terminal

bronchioles
 The respiratory zone is where gas is
exchanged
 Consists of alveoli, alveolar sacs, alveolar

ducts and respiratory bronchioles

Respiratory Bronchioles,
Alveolar Ducts, and Alveoli
 Lungs contain small saccular outpocketings
called alveoli.
 They have a thin wall specialized to promote
diffusion of gases between the alveolus and the
blood in the pulmonary capillaries.
 Gas exchange can take place in the
respiratory bronchioles and alveolar ducts
as well as in the alveoli, each lung contains
approximately 300 to 400 million alveoli.
 The spongy nature of the lung is due to the
packing of millions of alveoli together.
Cells in Alveolus
Type I cells : simple squamous cells forming
lining
Type II cells : or septal cells secrete
surfactant
Alveolar macrophages
Gross Anatomy of the
Lungs
 Each lung has a conical shape. Its wide,
concave base rests upon the muscular
diaphragm.
 Its superior region called the apex projects
superiorly to a point that is slightly superior
and posterior to the clavicle.
 Both lungs are bordered by the thoracic wall
anteriorly, laterally, and posteriorly, and
supported by the rib cage.
 Toward the midline, the lungs are separated
from each other by the mediastinum.
Lungs
Left lung
 divided into 2 lobes by oblique fissure

 smaller than the right lung

 cardiac notch accommodates the heart

Right lung
 divided into 3 lobes by oblique and horizontal

fissure
 located more superiorly in the body due to liver on

right side
Pleura and Pleural Cavities
 The outer surface of each lung and the
adjacent internal thoracic wall are lined
by a serous membrane called pleura.
 The outer surface of each lung is tightly
covered by the visceral pleura.
 while the internal thoracic walls, the
lateral surfaces of the mediastinum, and
the superior surface of the diaphragm
are lined by the parietal pleura.
Pleural Cavities
The potential space between the serous
membrane layers is a pleural cavity.
 The pleural membranes produce a thin,

serous pleural fluid that circulates in

the pleural cavity and acts as a
lubricant, ensuring minimal friction
during breathing.
 Pleural effusion – pleuritis with too

much fluid