Functional Anatomy of the Respiratory System

  • Nasal Cavity: Filters, warms, and humidifies the air before it enters the lungs.

  • Pharynx: Serves as a pathway for both air and food, connecting the nasal cavity to the larynx.

  • Larynx: Contains the vocal cords and is responsible for sound production, as well as protecting the trachea against food aspiration.

  • Trachea: U-shaped tube that connects your larynx (voice box) to your lungs. It’s called the windpipe

  • Bronchi: carry air to and from your lungs,

  • Lungs-alveoli: lungs and the blood exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide during the process of breathing in and breathing out

Gas exchanges between the blood and external environment occur only in the alveoli of the lungs.

-Passageways purify, humidity, and warm the incoming air to the lungs

The Nose

  • Respiratory mucosa:

  • Lining nasal cavity

  • Moistens air

  • trapping incoming foreign particles

  • Defructio of bacteria chemically through the actions of lysozyme enzymes

  • Movies contaminated mucus to posterior parts of the throat

Paranasal Sinuses:

cavities within the frontal, sphenoid, Ethmoid and Maxillary  bones surrounding the nasal cavity

  • Frontal sinuses: Located within the frontal bone, above the eyebrows. 

  • Sphenoid sinuses: Situated deep within the sphenoid bone, behind the nasal cavity. 

  • Ethmoid sinuses: A group of small air cells within the ethmoid bone, between the eyes and nose. 

  • Maxillary sinuses: The largest sinuses, found within the maxillary bone, below the eyes and in the cheek area. 


The Larynx

Functions: Routes air and food into proper channels (playing a role in speech)

  • Eqiglottis_

    1. Routes the posteriorly structured esophagus and routes aur towards the trachea.

    2. During swallowing the epiglottis rises and forms a lid over the opening of the larynx

  • Vocal folds(true vocal cords
    vibrate with expelled air; allowing us to speak

RESPIRATORY PHYSIOLOGY

Functions:

  • supplying the body with oxygen

  • Disposes of carbon dioxide

Respiratory 4 distinct events

  1. Pulmonary Ventilation

  2. External respiration

  3. Respiratory gas transport

  4. Internal respiration

Definitions

  1. Pulmonary of respiration- moving air from out and in the lungs

  2. External respiration- Gas exchange between blood and alveoli

  3. Respiratory gas transport- Transportation of carbon dioxide via bloodstream

  4. Internal Respiration- gas exchange between blood and tissue cells in systemic capillaries

-Expiration (exhalation)

passive process that depends on natural lung elasticity

-Forced expiration controlling mostly on contraction of internal intercostal muscles to depress the rib cage.

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