RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

The cells of the human body require a constant stream of oxygen to stay alive. The
respiratory system provides oxygen to the body’s cells while removing carbon
dioxide. There are 3 major parts of the respiratory system: the airway, the lungs, and
the muscles of respiration. The airway, which includes the nose, mouth, pharynx,
larynx, trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles, carries air between the lungs and the
body’s exterior. The lungs act as the functional units of the respiratory system by
passing oxygen into the body and carbon dioxide out of the body. Finally, the
muscles of respiration, including the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, work
together to act as a pump, pushing air into and out of the lungs during breathing.

Anatomy of respiratory organs and their functions.

Parts of respiratory system:
The human respiratory system consists of following organs:-
1. Nose
2. pharynx(throat)
3. Larynx (voice box)
4. Trachea(windpipe)
5. Bronchi
6. Lungs
7. Alveoli

Division of Respiratory Tract

• Upper Respiratory Tract: This includes all the structures from nose up to vocal cords.
• Lower Respiratory Tract: This includes trachea bronchi and lungs.

1) Nose:
It is only externally visible organ of respiratory system
Nose can be divided into 2 parts:-
1. External nose.
2. Internal nose.

Function of Nose
• Receives the inhaled air
• Forms a passage for the air to reach the nasal cavity.
 • The function of the nasal cavity is to warm, moisturize, and filter the inhaled
air.
• Hairs and mucus lining the nasal cavity help to trap dust and other
environmental contaminants.
• Smell
• Air conditioning
• Olfactory stimuli (smell) are received.

2) Pharynx:
• The pharynx connects the nasal cavity with the larynx. Pharynx is a wide
muscular tube which is common opening for air and food, helps to produce
sound and contains tonsils which destroys foreign particles.
• It is made up with skeleton muscles.
Structure -
It has three regions
1. Nasopharynx: It has respiratory function only.
2. Oropharynx: It has both respiratory and digestive function.
3. Laryopharynx: It also has both respiratory and digestive function.

3) Larynx:
Larynx or voice box is a short passageway that connects pharynx with the trachea.
Larynx acts as a passageway and produces sound by modifying air vibrations. It lies
within the midline of the neck.

Structure
• Larynx is present in the anterior neck at the 3rd to 6th cervical vertebral level.
It connects pharynx with the trachea.
• Its skeleton is made up of 3 single (thyroid, cricoid and epiglottis) and 3 paired
(arytenoid, corniculated, and cuneiform) cartilages.

Function
 This pathway is present between larynx and trachea.
 The air inhaled is humidified filtered and warmed as it passes through the
larynx.
 It Maintains an open passageway for air movement.
4) Trachea:
 Trachea is known as windpipe.
 It is 10-11 cm long continuous pathway from the larynx.
 It lies in the median plane in front of the oesophagus.

Structure -
 Trachea is composed of 16-20 C shaped structure
 The trachea are covered by following three tissue layer:-

1. Outerlayer- Made up of fibrous and elastic tissue.

2. Middle layer - Made up of cartilage and bands.
3. Inner layer- Made up of ciliated columnar epithelium containing goblet cells

Function –
 It helps in movement of air from mouth to lungs.
 It warms, humidified and filter the inhaled air.
 The epithelium lining the trachea produces mucus that traps dust and other
contaminants and prevents it from reaching the lungs.
 Cilia on the surface of the epithelial cells move the mucus superiorly toward
the pharynx where it can be swallowed and digested in the gastrointestinal
tract.

5) Bronchi and bronchioles:

Bronchi are the main airways into the lungs. Bronchi is the plural form of bronchus.
Air enters your body through your mouth or nose, and it passes through the larynx
and trachea. The trachea, also called the windpipe, branches into left and right
primary bronchus into the lungs. The primary bronchi divide to form smaller bronchi.
The secondary bronchi continue to branch, forming still smaller bronchi, called
tertiary bronchi, that divides into bronchioles.

Structure -
 Bronchi are made up of complete cartilage rings the right left bronchus are
different from each other as the format is shatter and wider.

Function -
 They provide a passageway for the air.
 They warms and humidify particulate matter
 They generate cough reflex.
6) Lungs:
 The lungs are a pair of large, spongy organs found in the thorax, lateral to the
heart, and superior to the diaphragm.
 The right lung is made up of three lobes. The left lung has only two lobes to
make room for your heart.
 The left and right lungs are slightly different in size and shape due to the heart
pointing to the left side of the body.
 The left lung is therefore slightly smaller than the right lung.

Structure –

 The lungs are conical in shape, where the top of the lungs consists of a narrow
round apex, and the base is broad concave-shaped.
 The lungs are surrounded by ribcage on the front and the vertebrae
(backbones) on the back. This bony cage helps to protect the lungs and other
organs in your chest.

Functions –
 The lungs’ main role is to bring in air from the atmosphere and pass oxygen
into the bloodstream.
 The red blood cells release carbon dioxide and exchange it for oxygen.
 Carbon dioxide and other gases the body doesn’t need are exhaled out by the
lungs.
 It is the main site for the exchange of gases i.e., oxygen and carbon dioxide.
 Lungs engage in filtering small blood clots and air bubbles.
 It can act as a shock absorber for a heart in instances of mild collision.
 Lungs also act as blood reservoirs which may vary from 500 ml to 1000 ml.
 Airflow through the lungs enables speech.

7) Alveoli:
 Alveoli are tiny, balloon-shaped air sacs. Their job is to move oxygen and
carbon dioxide (CO2) molecules into and out of your bloodstream.
 They sit at the ends of the branches of the bronchial tree.
 The walls of the alveoli are very thin. This lets oxygen and CO2 pass easily
between the alveoli and capillaries.
 Alveoli are the endpoint of the respiratory system.

Function –
 The alveoli are where the lungs and the blood exchange oxygen and carbon
dioxide during the process of respiration.
 Oxygen breathed in from the air passes through the alveoli into the blood and
travels to the tissues throughout the body.
Respiration:
 Respiration is defined as the exchange of the gases between body tissue and
external environment.
 It is a simple give and take process, since oxygen -rich air is taken in, form the
atmosphere and in exchange carbon dioxide -rich air is given out to the
atmosphere.
 Breathing process continues throughout the life of an organism.
 Breathing rate is the number of times an individual breathes in a minute.
 For example, breathing rate increases on walking fast, running, after a heavy
exercise, and decrease when in a relaxed state.

Mechanism of respiration:
Respiration involves two stages:
1. Inspiration or Inhalation
2. Expiration or Exhalation

1. Inspiration or Inhalation
 The process of intake of atmospheric air is known as inspiration. It is an active
process.
 In the process of inspiration, there would be a contraction of muscles attached
to the ribs on the outer side which pulls out the ribs and results in
the expansion of the chest cavity.
 Later, the diaphragm, contracts, moves downwards and expands the chest
cavity resulting in the contraction of the abdominal muscles.
 The expansion of the chest cavity produces a partial vacuum which sucks air
into the lungs and fills the expanded alveoli.

2. Expiration or Exhalation
 . The process of exhaling carbon dioxide is called expiration. It is a passive
process.
 During this process, muscles attached to the ribs contract, the muscles of the
diaphragm and the abdomen relax which leads to a decrease in the volume of
the chest cavity and increases the pressure of the lungs, causing the air in the
lungs to be pushed out through the nose.

Respiratory volumes and capacities –

Respiratory volumes:
 Lung volumes are also known as respiratory volumes.
 It refers to the volume of gas in the lungs at a given time during the
respiratory cycle.
  Lung capacities are derived from a summation of different lung volumes.
 The average total lung capacity of an adult human male is about 6 litres of air.
 Lung volumes measurement is an integral part of pulmonary function test.

Respiratory capacities:
 Respiratory capacity (pulmonary capacity) is the sum of two or more
volumes.
 Factors such as age, sex, body build, and physical conditioning have an
influence on lung volumes and capacities.
 Lungs usually reach their maximum capacity in early adulthood and decline
with age after that.