What is Human Respiration?

●The human respiratory system allows one to obtain oxygen, eliminate carbon dioxide.
●Breathing consists of two phases, inspiration and expiration
●Inspiration- the process of taking in air
●Expiration- the process of blowing out air

The respiratory system is the network of organs and tissues that help you breathe. It includes your
airways, lungs and blood vessels. The muscles that power your lungs are also part of the respiratory
system. These parts work together to move oxygen throughout the body and clean out waste gases like
carbon dioxide

PARTS AND FUNCTION OF THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

STRUCTURE
FUNCTION
nose / nasal cavity
warms, moistens, & filters air as it is inhaled
pharynx (throat)
passageway for air, leads to trachea
larynx
the voice box, where vocal chords are located
trachea (windpipe)
keeps the windpipe "open"
trachea is lined with fine hairs called cilia which filter air before it reaches the lungs
bronchi
two branches at the end of the trachea, each lead to a lung
bronchioles
a network of smaller branches leading from the bronchi into the lung tissue & ultimately to air sacs
alveoli
the functional respiratory units in the lung where gases are exchanged

PARTS OF RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

•Upper Respiratory Tract
•Lower Respiratory Tract

*Upper Respiratory Tract Functions*

●Passageway for respiration
●Receptors for smell
●Filters incoming air to filter larger foreign material
●Moistens and warms incoming air
●Resonating chambers for voice

*Components of the Upper Respiratory Tract*

1. NASAL CAVITY/NOSE
• It serves as an air passageway.
• It warms and moistens inhaled air.
• Its cilia and mucous membrane trap dust, pollen, bacteria, and foreign matter.
• It contains olfactory receptors, which smell odors.
• It aids in phonation and the quality of voice.

The dividing partition between the nostrils is the nasal septum, which forms two nasal cavities.

Each cavity is divided into 3 air passages: the superior, middle, and inferior conchae

The external opening of the nose is the nostrils or anterior nares.

The palatine (palate) bones and maxilla (upper jaw bone) separate the nasal cavities from the mouth
cavity. Cilia (hairs) line the mucous membrane. About 1 qt. of mucous is produced daily.

2. ORAL CAVITY/MOUTH

• The oral cavity or the mouth is the secondary external opening for the respiratory tract. Most normal
breathing takes place through the nasal cavity, but the oral cavity can be used to supplement or replace
the nasal cavity’s functions when needed

• Because the pathway of air entering the body from the mouth is shorter than the pathway for air
entering from the nose, the mouth does not warm and moisturize the air entering the lungs as well as
the nose performs this function. The mouth also lacks hairs and sticky mucus that filter air passing
through the nasal cavity

•The one advantage of breathing trough the mouth is that it’s shorter distance and larger diameter
allows more air to quickly enter the body

3.) PHARYNX (THROAT)

•Muscular passage from nasal cavity to larynx

The pharynx has 3 functions:
1. serves as a passageway for air
2. serves as a passageway for food
3. aids in phonation by changing its shape

•The oropharynx and laryngopharynx are common passageways for air and food

•The pharynx is the correct term for the throat. It is a muscular and membranous tube that is about 5
inches long, extending downward from the base of the skull. It eventually becomes the esophagus.

•The nasopharynx is behind the nose; the oropharynx is behind the mouth; the laryngopharynx is
behind the larynx.
• The nasopharynx is posterior to the nasal cavity and serves only as a passageway for air.
• The oropharynx lies posterior to the oral cavity and contains the palatine tonsils. Both air and ingested
food pass through the oropharynx and through the laryngopharynx below.
• The laryngopharynx lies posterior to the epiglottis and connects to the larynx and the esophagus.
•As we breathe, the epiglottis stays up and air passes freely between the laryngopharynx and the larynx.
The larynx connects the lower part of the pharynx, the laryngopharynx, to the trachea. It keeps the air
passages open during breathing and digestion and is the key organ for producing sound.

*Components of the Lower Respiratory Tract*

Functions:
●Larynx: maintains an open airway, routes food and air appropriately, assists in sound production
●Trachea: transports air to and from lungs
●Bronchi: branch into lungs
●Lungs: transport air to alveoli for gas exchange
Lower Respiratory Tract

1.) LARYNX (VOICE BOX)

• Routes air and food into proper channels

• Plays a role in speech
• It plays a vital role in the respiratory tract by allowing air to pass through it while keeping food and
drink from blocking the airway. The larynx is also the body’s “voice box” as it contains the vocal folds that
produce the sounds of speech and singing

Structures of the Larynx

·Thyroid cartilage
·Largest hyaline cartilage
·usually larger in the male, allowing longer vocal cords and contributing to a deeper male voice
·Epiglottis
·Routes food to the larynx and air toward the trachea
The epiglottis covers the entrance of the
larynx while swallowing, to avoid choking
·Vocal cords (vocal folds)
·Short, tense vocal cords produce high notes;
·long relaxed vocal cords produce low notes
·Glottis – opening between vocal cords

2.) TRACHEA (Windpipe)

·Connects larynx with bronchi

·Lined with ciliated mucosa
·Beat continuously in the opposite direction of incoming air
·Expel mucus loaded with dust and other debris away from lungs
·Walls are reinforced with C-shaped hyaline cartilage
• The main function of the trachea is to provide a clear airway for air to enter and exit the lungs. In
addition, the epithelium lining the trachea produces mucus that traps dust and other contaminants and
prevents it from reaching the lungs.

• The trachea connects the larynx to the bronchi and allows air to pass through the neck and into the
thorax. The rings of cartilage making up the trachea allow it to remain open to air at all times. The open
end of the cartilage rings faces posteriorly toward the esophagus, allowing the esophagus to expand into
the space occupied by the trachea to accommodate masses of food moving through the esophagus

Four layers of tissues make up the walls of the trachea:

● The mucosa is the innermost layer and consists of ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium with
many goblet cells. Goblet cells produce sticky mucus to coat the inner lining of the trachea and catch any
debris present in inhaled air before it reaches the lungs..

●Deep to the mucosa is the submucosa layer, which is made of areolar connective tissue containing
blood vessels and nervous tissue. Many collagen, elastin and reticular protein fibers give soft support
and elasticity to the wall of the trachea, while blood vessels and nerves support the other layers of the
tracheal wall. Longitudinal smooth muscle fibers are present in the posterior trachea between the ends
of the cartilage rings. This smooth muscle tissue allows the trachea to adjust its diameter as needed.

●Surrounding the submucosa is a layer of hyaline cartilage that forms the supportive rings of the
trachea. Hyaline provides a strong, yet flexible structure that maintains an open airway and is resistant to
external stresses
●The outermost layer of the trachea is the adventitia, a layer of areolar connective tissue that loosely
anchors the trachea to the surrounding soft tissues

3.) BRONCHI

·The main function of the bronchi and bronchioles is to carry air from the trachea into the lungs. Smooth
muscle tissue in their walls helps to regulate airflow into the lungs.

•The bronchi are the two main branches at the bottom of the trachea, providing passageway for air to
the lungs. The trachea divides into the right bronchus and the left bronchus, and then divides further
into the bronchial tree.

•As the branches of the bronchial tree get smaller, the 2 primary bronchi become bronchioles, and then
very small alveolar ducts.

• The left bronchi is smaller than the right bronchi, because room is needed to accommodate the heart.
If a foreign body is inhaled or aspirated (drawn by suction), it usually lodges in the larger right bronchi (as
shown in this Xray) or enters the right lung.

• The left and right bronchi run into each lung before branching off into smaller secondary bronchi. The
secondary bronchi carry air into the lobes of the lungs—2 in the left lung and 3 in the right lung. The
secondary bronchi in turn split into many smaller tertiary bronchi within each lobe. The tertiary bronchi
split into many smaller bronchioles that spread throughout the lungs. Each bronchiole further splits into
many smaller branches less than a millimeter in diameter called terminal bronchioles. Finally, the
millions of tiny terminal bronchioles conduct air to the alveoli

4.) LUNGS

·Occupy most of the thoracic cavity

·transport air to alveoli for gas exchange
·Responsible for exchange of gases between the body and the environment
·Contains a series of narrowing passageways that terminate into tiny sacs called the alveoli
·During respiration oxygen enters the lungs by diffusion through the capillaries surrounding each alveolar
sac

• The lungs are two spongy organs located in the thorax. They consist of elastic tissue, filled with an
interlacing network of tubes and sacs that carry air and blood vessels that carry blood.

• Each lung is divided into lobes, the right lung into 3 lobes and the left lung into 2. The left lung has an
indentation called the cardiac depression or notch… for placement of the heart.

• The base of the lungs rest on the diaphragm, a muscular wall separating the thorax from the
abdominal cavity. It is involved in respiration, drawing downward in the chest during inhalation, and
pushing upward during exhalation.

• Tidal volume refers to the amount of air inhaled or exhaled during normal breathing… about 500 ml.
Total lung capacity is 3.6-9.4 liters in an average male.

•
At the end of each bronchiole are the alveoli The lungs contain about 300 million alveoli sacs, which are
the air cells where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place with the capillaries.
.

• Deoxygenated blood comes in and drops off CO2; oxygenated blood goes out.

5.) ALVEOLI
• They are tiny-balloon-shaped compositions.
• They are the tiniest compositions in the respiratory system.
• The alignment of alveoli takes place in the form of clusters all through the lungs.
• They are positioned at the terminals of the branches of the respiratory tree.
• The walls are very thin, which permits oxygen and carbon dioxide to pass readily between the
capillaries and alveoli.

Functions:
• It is the composition from where the blood and lungs exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen at the time
of breathing in and out.
• The oxygen breathed in passes via the alveoli and into the blood and mediates to the tissues all
through the body.
• The carbon dioxide passes through the blood from the tissues of the body and passes via the alveoli to
be breathed out.

●Breathing (ventilation): air in to and out of lungs

●External respiration: gas exchange between air and blood
●Internal respiration: gas exchange between blood and tissues
●Cellular respiration: oxygen use to produce ATP, carbon dioxide as waste

1.) External Respiration

·Carbon dioxide movement out of the blood

·Blood returning from tissues has higher concentrations of carbon dioxide than air in the alveoli
·Pulmonary capillary blood gives up carbon dioxide
·Blood leaving the lungs is oxygen-rich and carbon dioxide-poor

2.) Internal Respiration

·Exchange of gases between blood and body cells

·An opposite reaction to what occurs in the lungs
·Carbon dioxide diffuses out of tissue to blood
·Oxygen diffuses from blood into tissue

Events of Respiration

·Pulmonary ventilation – moving air in and out of the lungs

·External respiration – gas exchange between pulmonary blood and alveoli
·Respiratory gas transport – transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide via the bloodstream
·Internal respiration – gas exchange between blood and tissue cells in systemic capillaries

Mechanics of Breathing
(Pulmonary Ventilation)

·Two phases
·Inspiration – flow of air into lung
·Expiration – air leaving lung

*Inspiration*

·Diaphragm and intercostal muscles contract

·The size of the thoracic cavity increases
·External air is pulled into the lungs due to an increase in intrapulmonary volume

*Exhalation*

·Largely a passive process which depends on natural lung elasticity

·As muscles relax, air is pushed out of the lungs
·Forced expiration can occur mostly by contracting internal intercostal muscles to depress the rib cage
* Nonrespiratory Air Movements*

·Can be caused by reflexes or voluntary actions

·Examples
·Cough and sneeze – clears lungs of debris
·Laughing
·Crying
·Yawn
·Hiccup

*Respiratory Volumes and Capacities*

·Inspiratory reserve volume (IRV)

·Amount of air that can be taken in forcibly over the tidal volume
·Usually between 2100 and 3200 ml
·Expiratory reserve volume (ERV)
·Amount of air that can be forcibly exhaled
·Approximately 1200 ml
·Residual volume
·Air remaining in lung after expiration
·About 1200 ml

·Vital capacity
·The total amount of exchangeable air
·Vital capacity = TV + IRV + ERV
·Dead space volume
·Air that remains in conducting zone and never reaches alveoli
·About 150 ml

·Functional volume
·Air that actually reaches the respiratory zone
·Usually about 350 ml
·Respiratory capacities are measured with a spirometer

·Newborns – 40 to 80 respirations per minute

·Infants – 30 respirations per minute
·Age 5 – 25 respirations per minute
·Adults – 12 to 18 respirations per minute
·Rate often increases somewhat with old age

*Malfunctions & Diseases of the Respiratory System*

1.) Asthma
- severe allergic reaction characterized by the constriction of bronchioles
2.) Bronchitis
- inflammation of the lining of the bronchioles
3.) Emphysema
- condition in which the alveoli deteriorate, causing the lungs to lose their elasticity
4.) Pneumonia
- condition in which the alveoli become filled with fluid, preventing the exchange of gases
5.) Lung cancer
- irregular & uncontrolled growth of tumors in the lung tissue