Medical Word Building and Respiratory System Quick Study

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering medical combining forms, respiratory terminology, key definitions, and gas transport concepts.

adenoid/o

Combining form meaning adenoids.

laryng/o

Combining form meaning larynx (voice box).

nas/o

Combining form meaning nose.

rhin/o

Combining form meaning nose.

pharyng/o

Combining form meaning pharynx (throat).

tonsill/o

Combining form meaning tonsils.

trache/o

Combining form meaning trachea (windpipe).

alveol/o

Combining form meaning alveolus; air sac.

bronch/o

Combining form meaning bronchus (plural, bronchi).

bronchi/o

Combining form meaning bronchus (plural, bronchi).

Pulmonology

Medical specialty, also known as pulmonary medicine, focusing on the treatment of diseases involving structures of the lower respiratory tract, including the lungs, their airways, and the chest wall (thoracic cage).

Pulmonologist

Medical doctor who treats respiratory disorders and diagnoses/manages pulmonary disorders as well as acute and chronic respiratory failure.

External respiration

Process in which oxygen ($O_2$) is inhaled into the lungs and absorbed into the bloodstream, and carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) leaves the bloodstream and enters the lungs to be expelled during exhalation.

Internal respiration

Process in which $O_2$ and $CO_2$ are exchanged at the cellular level; $O_2$ leaves the bloodstream and is delivered to tissue cells for energy, while $CO_2$ enters the bloodstream from tissues and is transported back to the lungs.

Alveolar sacs

Clusters of alveoli residing at the termination of alveolar ducts.

Alveolus

Air sac in the lungs.

Anatomical dead space

Air that normally remains in conducting airways during respiration.

Bronchi

The two main branches leading from the trachea to the lungs that serve as passageways for air.

Bronchioles

One of the smaller subdivisions of the bronchial tubes.

Carbaminohemoglobin

Combination of hemoglobin with carbon dioxide.

Carina

Cartilaginous ridge situated where the trachea divides into two bronchi.

Epiglottis

The uppermost cartilage of the larynx; closes during swallowing to direct food and liquids into the esophagus.

Expiratory reserve volume

The amount of air that can be exhaled after normal expiration using maximum effort.

Glottis

The opening between the vocal cords.

Gut-lung axis

Link between the microbiota of the gut and that of the lung that influences health.

Hilum

Opening on the lung's medial surface through which primary bronchi and pulmonary blood vessels pass.

Inspiratory reserve volume

The amount of air inhaled using maximum effort after a normal inspiration.

Intrapleural pressure

The pressure between the visceral and parietal pleurae, which assists with lung expansion.

Laryngopharynx

Part of the pharynx that passes dorsal to the larynx and connects to the esophagus.

Larynx

Structure made of cartilage and muscle at the upper end of the trachea; part of the airway and the vocal apparatus.

Nasopharynx

Upper part of the pharynx, extending from the posterior nares to the soft palate.

Oropharynx

Part of the pharynx residing between the soft palate and the base of the tongue.

Oxygen saturation

The number of oxygen molecules bound to hemoglobin at any one time.

Oxyhemoglobin

Combination of hemoglobin with oxygen.

Palate

Bony structure separating the mouth from the nasal cavity.

Partial pressure

The contribution of a single gas in a mixture of gases toward the total pressure of the gas mixture.

Pharynx

Muscular tube behind the oral and nasal cavities; commonly called the throat.

Physiological dead space

Includes all the air in conducting airways (the anatomical dead space) plus the air in alveoli that are poorly perfused.

Pleura

Serous membrane covering the lungs and the thoracic cavity.

Pleural cavity

Potential space between the visceral and parietal pleurae.

Residual volume

Amount of air remaining in lungs after a forced expiration.

Respiratory membrane

Membrane consisting of alveolar epithelium and capillary epithelium across which gas exchange occurs.

Surfactant

Lipoprotein secreted by alveolar cells that decreases surface tension of the fluid lining the alveoli, permitting expansion of alveoli.

Tidal volume

The amount of air inhaled and exhaled during quiet breathing.

Total lung capacity

The maximum amount of air that the lungs can contain; consists of vital capacity plus residual volume.

Trachea

Portion of the respiratory tract that carries air through the neck and upper chest.

Ventilation

The movement of air into and out of the lungs.

Ventilation-perfusion coupling

The balance between the amount of air flowing into the alveolus (ventilation) with the flow of blood through the capillaries (perfusion).

Vital capacity

The amount of air that can be inhaled and exhaled with the deepest possible breath.

Gas transport

The process of carrying gases from alveoli to the tissues and back.

Bicarbonate ions ($HCO_3^-$)

The form in which the vast majority (about $70\%$) of carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) is transported in blood, formed when $CO_2$ reacts with water in plasma to form carbonic acid, which then dissociates into bicarbonate and hydrogen ions.

Oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve

A graph displaying the relationship between the partial pressure of oxygen ($PO_2$) and oxygen saturation.