Anatomy and Physiology Exam 3

What is respiration?

The process of exchanging gases between the atmosphere and the cells of the body.

What is the respiratory system?

A set of passageways that filter, moisten, and warm incoming air and transport it into the body, lungs, and microscopic air sacs where gases are exchanged.

What are some of the events respiration consists of?

Ventilation, external respiration, transport of gases in the blood, internal respiration, cellular respiration.

What are the levels of organization that respiration occurs at?

Macroscopic, cellular, and molecular.

List some of the important physiological functions of the respiratory system.

Provide oxygen for cellular respiration, eliminate carbon dioxide produced by cellular respiration, and use the carbon dioxide to help maintain the pH of the internal environment.

What structures are in the upper respiratory tract?

Nose, nasal cavity, sinuses, pharynx, larynx.

What structures are in the lower respiratory tract?

Trachea, bronchial tree, lungs.

What is the function of the nostrils?

To provide openings for air to enter and leave the nasal cavity.

What is the nasal cavity?

A hollow space behind the nose.

What separates the nasal cavity into left and right portions?

The nasal septum.

What curls in from the lateral walls of the nasal cavity?

Nasal conchae.

What does the upper portion of the nasal cavity contain?

Olfactory receptors for sense of smell - lined with mucous membranes to function in conduction of air.

What lines the nasal cavity?

Pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium.

What do goblet cells produce?

Mucous.

What does smoking do to cilia?

It slows and eventually paralyzes them.

What is smoker’s cough?

A cough occurring when cilia no longer function and the excess mucus produced must be coughed up.

What is chronic bronchitis?

Bronchial thickening resulting in difficulty with expiration.

What is emphysema?

A chronic lung disease that causes progressive damage to alveolar walls.

What are sinuses?

Air-filled spaces in the bones of the skull.

What is the pharynx?

The space posterior to the nasal cavity, oral cavity, and larynx.

What are the two functions of the pharynx?

Passageway for food and air and sound production.

What are the three portions of the pharynx?

Nasopharynx, oropharynx, laryngopharynx.

What does air pass through on the way to the trachea?

The larynx.

What is the larynx?

An enlargement in the airway superior to the trachea, and anterior and somewhat inferior to the laryngopharynx.

What important structure for sound production does the larynx house?

Vocal chords.

What is the larynx composed of?

A framework of muscles and cartilages bound by elastic tissue.

What are the three large cartilages found in the larynx?

Thyroid - largest, Adam’s apple

Cricoid - below thyroid cartilage

Epiglottic - part of flap like epiglottis.

What are the 2 horizontal vocal folds housed in the larynx?

Upper and lower.

What are the false vocal chords?

Upper vestibular folds with no sound production.

What are the true vocal chords?

Lower folds that produce vocal sounds when air passes over them.

What is the opening at the inferior end of the larynx called?

The glottis.

Where does the glottis lead to?

The trachea.

What is the glottis covered by?

The epiglottis.

What is the trachea?

A flexible tube for the passage of air to the lungs.

What does the trachea split into?

Left and right primary bronchi.

What are the left and right primary bronchi lined with?

Ciliated mucous membranes.

What prevents the collapse of the trachea?

20 C-shaped rings of hyaline cartilage.

What is a tracheostomy?

A procedure that cuts an opening in the trachea to insert a tube for air exchange.

What does the bronchial tree consist of?

Branched airways leading from the trachea to the microscopic air sacs in the lungs.

Where do the primary bronchi from the trachea enter?

The lungs.

Where do tubules end?

Blind sacs called alveoli.

Give the successive divisions of the branches from the trachea to the microscopic air sacs.

Right and left primary bronchi, secondary bronchi, tertiary bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli.

What are all of the structures of the bronchial tree down to the terminal bronchioles a part of?

The conduction pathway - transport air, no gas exchange.

What system are the respiratory bronchioles and alveoli a part of?

Respiratory - they perform gas exchange.

Where does gas exchange occur?

Between the walls of the alveoli and adjacent capillaries.

What do alveoli do?

Provide surface area for gas exchange.

What is the visceral pleura?

The inner layer of the two serous membranes attached to the outer surface of the lung.

What is the parietal pleura?

The outer layer of two serous membranes lining the inner wall of the thoracic cavity.

What are pleural cavities?

Potential spaces between the visceral pleura and the parietal pleura for each lung that contain fluid.

What is breathing?

The movement of air from outside of the body into the lungs.

What is air movement caused by?

Pressure changes due to muscle contractions.

What is a respiratory cycle?

One inspiration and one expiration.

Which sets of muscles are involved in inspiration?

The diaphragm and external intercostals.

Which set of muscles in used for expiration?

The internal intercostals.

What is bulk flow?

How air moves - high pressure to low pressure.

What happens when pressure inside the alveoli decreases?

Atmospheric pressure pushes air into the airways - air rushes into the thoracic cavity.

What happens to the diaphragm and external intercostal muscles during normal quiet inspiration?

They enlarge the size of the thoracic cavity.

What does surface tension in the pleural cavity do?

It aids lung expansion - the fluid in the pleural cavity holds the parietal pleura tightly to the visceral pleura, forcing the lungs to move as the body wall moves.

What does surface tension in the alveoli do?

It hinders lung expansion.

What does surfactant in the alveoli do?

Reduce surface tension and help lung expansion.

True or false: normal expiration does not require any muscles.

True - the tension of the lungs, ribs and diaphragm will cause the lungs to contract passively, forcing air from the lungs.

How do internal intercostal muscles and abdominal muscles help with a more forceful expiration?

They create additional pressure.

What is spirometry?

The measurement of air volumes.

What is tidal volume?

The volume of air moved in or out of the lungs during a respiratory cycle (500 mL).

What is vital capacity?

The maximum volume of air that can be exhaled after taking the deepest breath possible.

What is total lung capacity?

The total volume of air that the lungs can hold.

Which respiratory volumes can be measured with a spirometer?

Tidal volume, inspiratory reserve volume, and expiratory reserve volume.

Which respiratory volume can’t be measured with a spirometer?

Residual volume.

How are respiratory capacities calculated?

By combining 2 or more respiratory volumes.

What are dead spaces?

Air entering the respiratory tract that doesn’t reach functional alveoli.

What is an anatomic dead space?

Air in respiratory tract that remains in conduction structures and does not reach alveoli.

What is an alveoli dead space?

Air in the respiratory tract that reaches nonfunctional alveoli.

What is physiologic dead space?

The total of anatomical and alveolar dead space.

What is minute respiratory volume?

The volume of new atmospheric air moved into the respiratory passages each minute.

What is alveolar ventilation rate?

The volume of air that reaches the alveoli each minute.

What are nonrespiratory air movements?

Movements other than breathing that usually result from reflexes.

What are coughing and sneezing due to?

Irritants in the respiration tract.

What do laughing and crying express?

Emotions.

What is the function of coughing and sneezing?

To clear the lower and upper respiratory passages.

What are hiccups?

An involuntary spasm of the diaphragm that results in air movement and a noise from the larynx.

What is yawning?

A form of a deep breath.

What does speech require?

Respiratory movement and that you alter your breathing rhythm.

What are the two most common problems with breathing?

Asthma and COPD.

What is bronchial asthma?

An allergic reaction to foreign antigens in the airway - allergens irritate smooth muscle leading to constriction of the bronchioles and wheezing.

What does treatment of asthma involve?

Opening the airways and reducing inflammation.

What are short-term inhalers?

Beta agonists.

What do beta agonists do?

Open the airways (bronchodilation).

What is COPD?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

What is chronic bronchitis?

Inflammation of the bronchial tubes.

What 2 diseases does COPD include?

Emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

What is normal breathing?

A rhythmic, involuntary act that continues even when a person is unconscious.

Where are the signals for breathing generated?

In the brainstem - nerve impulses generate both inspiration and expiration.

What does the parasympathetic nervous system do to the rate of the breathing and the passageways?

Slows; narrows (bronchoconstriction).

What does the sympathetic nervous system do to the rate of breathing and the passageways?

Increases; opens (bronchodilation).

What are respiratory areas?

Groups of neurons in the brainstem that control breathing in the pons and medulla oblongata - adjust the rate and depth of breathing.

What respiratory groups does the medulla respiratory center contain?

Dorsal and ventral.

What respiratory centers does the pontine respiratory group contain?

Pneumotaxic and apneustic.

The basic rhythm of breathing is derived from the ______-.

Medulla.

What does the dorsal respiratory group do as it relates breathing?

Sets the rate, initiates inspiration, stimulates the diaphragm.

What does the ventral respiratory group do as it relates to breathing?

Influences both inspiration and expiration, especially during forceful breathing.