The Respiratory System: Structure and Function

1. Chapter 16 The Respiratory System

2. Word roots • Alveol- (small cavity) • Ex. Alveolus: microscopic air sac within the lung • Bronch- (windpipe) • Ex. Bronchus: primary branch of the trachea • Cric- (ring) • Ex. Cricoid cartilage: ring-shaped mass of cartilage at the base of the layrnx • Epi- (upon) • Ex. Epiglottis: flaplike structure that partially covers the opening to the larynx during swallowing • Hem- (blood) • Ex. Hemoglobin: pigment in red blood cells that transports oxygen and carbon dioxide

3. Introduction • The respiratory systemconsists of tubes that filter incoming air and transport it into the microscopic alveoli where gases are exchanged • The entire process of exchanging gases between the atmosphere and body cells is called respiration

4. introduction • Respiration consists of: • Ventilation – movement of air into and out of lungs • External respiration – gas exchange between the blood and the air in the lungs • Gas transport in blood between the lungs and body cells • Internal respiration – gas exchange between the blood and the cells • Cellular respiration – the process of oxygen utilization and carbon dioxide production at the cellular level

5. Organs of the respiratory system • The organs of the respiratory tract can be divided into two groups: • The upper respiratory tractincludes the nose, nasal cavity, sinuses, and pharynx • The lower respiratory tractincludes the larynx, trachea, bronchial tree, and lungs • The nose, supported by bone and cartilage, provides an entrance for air in which air is filtered by coarse hairs inside the nostrils

7. Nasal cavity • The nasal cavityis a space posterior to the nose that is divided medially by the nasal septum • Septum composed of bone ad cartilage • Usually straight at birth, but it can bend with age to one side causing a deviated septum (may obstruct nasal cavity) • Nasal conchaeare bones and bone processes that divide the cavity into passageways lined with mucous membrane, and help increase the surface area available to warm and filter incoming air

8. Nasal cavity • Particles trapped in the mucus are carried to the pharynx by ciliary action, swallowed, and carried to the stomach where gastric juice destroys any microorganisms in the mucus

9. Paranasal sinuses • Sinuses are air-filled spaces within the maxillary, frontal, ethmoid, and sphenoid bonesof the skull • These spaces open to the nasal cavity and are lined with mucus membrane that is continuous with that lining the nasal cavity • The sinuses reduce the weight of the skull and serve as a resonant chamber to affect the quality of the voice

10. pharynx • The pharynx is a common passageway for air and food • Aids in producing sounds for speech

12. larynx • The larynx is an enlargement in the airway superior to the trachea and inferior to the pharynx • It helps keep particles from entering the trachea and also houses the vocal cords • The larynx is composed of a framework of muscles and cartilage bound by elastic tissue • Largest cartilages are thyroid cartilage (Adam’s apple), cricoid cartilage, and epiglottic cartilage • Laryngitis is caused by inflammation of the mucus membrane due to an infection or irritation from inhaled vapors, preventing the vocal cords from freely vibrating

14. larynx • Inside the larynx, two pairs of folds of muscle and connective tissue covered with mucous membrane make up the vocal cords • The upper pair is the false vocal cordsand the lower pair is the true vocal cords • Changing tension on the vocal cords controls pitch, while increasing the loudness depends upon increasing the force of air vibrating the vocal cords • During normal breathing, the vocal cords are relaxed and the glottisis a triangular slit • During swallowing, the false vocal cords and epiglottis close off the glottis

17. trachea • Extends downward anterior to the esophagus and into the thoracic cavity, where it splits into right and left bronchi • The inner wall of the trachea is lined with ciliated mucous membrane with many goblet cells that serve to trap incoming particles • The tracheal wall is supported by 20 incomplete cartilaginous rings

19. Bronchial tree • Consists of branched tubes leading from the trachea to the alveoli • The branches of the bronchial tree from the trachea are right and left primary bronchi; these further subdivide until bronchioles give rise to alveolar ductswhich terminate in alveoli, which lie within beds of capillaries • It is through the thin epithelial cells of the alveoli that gas exchange between the blood and air occurs

24. lungs • The right and left soft, spongy, cone-shaped lungs are separated medially by the mediastinum and are enclosed by the diaphragm and thoracic cage • The bronchus and large blood vessels enter each lung • A layer of serous membrane, the visceral pleura, folds back to form the parietal pleura • The visceral pleura is attached to the lung, and the parietal pleura lines the thoracic cavity; serous fluid lubricates the “pleural cavity” between these two membranes

25. lungs • The right lung has threelobes, the left has two • Each lobe is composed of lobules that contain air passages, alveoli, nerves, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and connective tissues.

28. Breathing mechanism • Ventilation (breathing), the movement of air in and out of the lungs, is composed of inspiration and expiration

29. Breathing mechanism • Inspiration • Atmospheric pressureis the force that moves air into the lungs • When pressure on the inside of the lungs decreases, higher pressure air flows in from the outside • Air pressure inside the lungs is decreased by increasing the size of the thoracic cavity; due to surface tensionbetween the two layers of pleura, the lungs follow with the chest wall and expand • Muscles involved in expanding the thoracic cavity include the diaphragm and the external intercostal muscles • As the lungs expand in size, surfactant keeps the alveoli from sticking to each other so they do not collapse when internal air pressure is low

32. Breathing mechanism • Expiration • The forces of expiration are due to the elastic recoilof lung and muscle tissues and from the surface tension within the alveoli • Forced expiration is aided by thoracic and abdominal wall muscles that compress the abdomen against the diaphragm

34. Breathing mechanism • There is no actual space between the visceral and parietal pleural membranes – they are held together by low pressure and wet surfaces • If there is a puncture in the thoracic wall, atmospheric air can enter the pleural cavity and create a real space between the membranes • This is called pneumothorax, and can cause the lung on the affected side to collapse • A collapsed lung is called atelectasis

35. Nonrespiratory movements • Air movements that occur in addition to breathing • Used to clear air passages (coughing and sneezing) or to express emotion (laughing and crying) • Usually result from reflexes , but can be initiated voluntarily • Coughing involves breathing in, closing the glottis, and forcing air upward against the closure – this forces the glottis open and the rapid rush of air from the lower respiratory tract usually removes whatever triggered the reflex

36. Nonrespiratory movements • Sneezes clear air from the upper respiratory tract, and the reflex is usually initiated by mild irritation in the nasal cavity lining, and a burst of air being forced through the glottis – sneezes can propel a particle out of the nose at 200 mph • Laughing and crying involve taking a breath and releasing it in a series of short expirations

37. Nonrespiratory movements • A hiccup is caused by a sudden inspiration due to spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm while the glottis is closed – this air striking the vocal cords causes the sound • Yawning may aid respiration by providing an occasional deep breath

38. Respiratory air volumes and capacities • The measurement of different air volumes is called spirometry, and it describes four distinct respiratory volumes • One inspiration followed by expiration is called a respiratory cycle; the amount of air that enters or leaves the lungs during one respiratory cycle is the tidal volume (TV) • During forced inspiration, an additional volume, the inspiratory reserve volume (IRV), can be inhaled into the lungs. IRV + TV gives us the inspiratory capacity

39. Respiratory air volumes and capacities • During a maximal forced expiration, an expiratory reserve volume can be exhaled, but there remains a residual volumein the lungs. • Adding the two together gives us the functional reserve capacity • Vital capacityis the tidal volume plus inspiratory reserve and expiratory reserve volumes combined • Vital capacity plus residual volume is the total lung capacity • Anatomic dead spaceis air remaining in the bronchial tree

42. Control of breathing • Normal breathing is a rhythmic, involuntary act even though the muscles are under voluntary control • Groups of neurons in the brain stem comprise the respiratory center, which controls breathing by causing inspiration and expiration and by adjusting the rate and depth of breathing • The components of the respiratory center include the rhythmicity center of the medulla and the pneumotaxic area of the pons

43. Control of breathing • The medullary rhythmicity center includes two groups of neurons • The dorsal respiratory groupis responsible for the basic rhythm of breathing • The ventral respiratory groupis active when more forceful breathing is required • Neurons in the pneumotaxic area (pontine respiratory group) control the rate of breathing.

46. Factors affecting breathing • Chemicals, lung tissue stretching, and emotional state affect breathing • Chemosensitive areas(central chemoreceptors) are associated with the respiratory center and are sensitive to changes in the blood concentration of carbon dioxide and hydrogen ions • If either carbon dioxide or hydrogen ion concentrations rise, the central chemoreceptors signal the respiratory center, and breathing rate increases

47. Factors affecting breathing • Peripheral chemoreceptorsin the carotid sinusesand aortic arch sense changes in blood oxygen concentration, transmit impulses to the respiratory center, and breathing rate and tidal volume increase • An inflation reflex, triggered by stretch receptors in the visceral pleura, bronchioles, and alveoli, helps to prevent overinflation of the lungs during forceful breathing • Hyperventilationlowers the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood

49. Alveolar gas exchange • The alveoli are the only sites of gas exchange between the atmosphere and the blood • They are tiny sacs clustered at the distal ends of the alveolar ducts • The respiratory membraneconsists of the epithelial cells of the alveolus, the endothelial cells of the capillary, and the two fused basement membranes of these layers • Gas exchange occurs across this respiratory membrane