Respiratory System

By Mekdes.s

06/10/2024
 Respiratory System
• The respiratory system provides for exchange of O2 and
CO2 to and from the blood.

• Respiratory organs include the lungs and a branching

system of bronchial tubes that link the sites of gas
exchange with the external environment.

• Air is moved through the lungs by a ventilating

mechanism, consisting of the thoracic cage, intercostal
muscles, diaphragm, and elastic components of the lung
tissue.
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 Functions of the Respiratory System
1. Gas exchange
– The respiratory system allows oxygen from the air to enter the blood
and carbon dioxide to leave the blood and enter the air.
2. Regulation of blood pH
– The respiratory system can alter blood pH by changing blood carbon
dioxide levels.
3. Voice production
– Air movement past the vocal cords makes sound and speech possible.
4. Olfaction
– The sensation of smell occurs when airborne molecules are drawn
into the nasal cavity
5. Innate immunity
– The respiratory system provides protection against some
microorganisms by preventing their entry into the body and by
removing them from respiratory surfaces.
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 RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
• The respiratory system consists of the:
 Nose
 Pharynx (throat)
 Larynx (voice box)
 Trachea (windpipe)
 Bronchi
 Lungs

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 RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
• Parts of the respiratory system can be classified
according to their structure or function.

 Structural (Anatomic) classification of the RS

• Structurally, the respiratory system consists of two
parts:
1. The upper respiratory system
– Includes the nose, nasal cavity, and pharynx
2. The lower respiratory system
– Includes the larynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs.

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 RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
• Functionally, the respiratory system also consists of two parts:
A. Conducting zone
• consists of a series of interconnecting cavities and tubes both
outside and within the lungs.
 These include:
• Nose • Trachea
• Nasal cavity • Bronchi
• Pharynx • Bronchioles
• Larynx • Terminal bronchioles

• Their functions are to filter, warm, and moisten air and

conduct it into the lungs.
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 RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
B. The respiratory zone
• consists of tubes and tissues within the lungs where gas
exchange occurs.
• These include:
1. Respiratory bronchioles
2. Alveolar ducts
3. Alveolar sacs
4. Alveoli
• They are the main sites of gas exchange between air
and blood.
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 Respiratory zone

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 NOSE
• The nose is a specialized organ at the entrance of the
respiratory system
• It is divided into an external portion and an internal
portion called the nasal cavity.

 The external nose

– Is the portion of the nose visible on the face.
– It is covered with muscle and skin and lined by a
mucous membrane.
– On the undersurface of the external nose are two
openings called the external nares or nostrils.
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 NOSE
• The interior structures of the nose have three
functions:

1. Warming, moistening, and filtering incoming air

2. Detecting olfactory stimuli
3. Modifying speech vibrations as they pass
through the large, hollow resonating chambers.

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 Nose

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 THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

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 NASAL CAVITY
• The nasal cavity is a large space in the anterior
aspect of the skull that lies inferior to the nasal
bone and superior to the oral cavity.

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 Relation of Sinuses with Nasal cavities

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 Nasal cavity

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 NASAL CAVITY
• The nasal cavity is divided into:
I. Respiratory area  inferior 2/3 of cavities.
II. Olfactory area  superior 1/3 of cavities.

 The respiratory region

 Is lined with pseudostratified ciliated columnar
epithelium, which is frequently called the
respiratory epithelium.
 The olfactory epithelium
 Lies in the respiratory region, which is near the
superior nasal conchae and adjacent septum.
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 Nasal cavity
• Nasal vestibule - the anterior portion of the
nasal cavity just inside the nostrils.

• When air enters the nostrils, it passes first

through the vestibule.

• This vestibule is lined by skin containing coarse

hairs that filter out large dust particles.
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 Nasal cavity
• The nasal septum & nasal cavity is highly vascularized area.
• One reason for vascularity might be to warm the air before
it reached the bronchi & lungs.

• Anterior part of nasal septum: is an area rich in capillaries

(Kiesselbach area) where all five arteries supplying the
septum anastomose.

• This area is site of profuse bleeding.

• Epistaxis (nose bleeding): relatively common because of
the rich blood supply to nasal mucosa.

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 PHARYNX
• The pharynx or throat, is a funnel-shaped tube about 13
cm long that starts at the internal nares and extends to
the level of the cricoid cartilage.

• lies just posterior to the nasal and oral cavities, superior

to the larynx, and just anterior to the cervical
vertebrae.

• Its wall is composed of skeletal muscles and is lined with

a mucous membrane.

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 Functions of the Pharynx
1. Acts as a passageway for air and food
2. Provides a resonating chamber for speech
sounds
3. Houses the tonsils, which participate in
immunological reactions against foreign
invaders.

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 PHARYNX
• The pharynx can be divided into three
anatomical regions:
1. Nasopharynx
2. Oropharynx
3. Laryngopharynx

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 Pharynx

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 NASOPHARYNX
• Superior portion of the pharynx
• Lies posterior to the nasal cavity and extends
to the soft palate.

• The posterior wall of nasopharynx contains

the pharyngeal tonsil or adenoid.

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 Pharynx

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 Oropharynx
• The intermediate portion of the pharynx
• Lies posterior to the oral cavity and extends from
the soft palate inferiorly to the level of the hyoid
bone.

• It has only one opening into it, the fauces, the

opening from the mouth.

• Oropharynx contains two pairs of tonsils, the

palatine and lingual tonsils.
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 Laryngopharynx
• The inferior portion of the pharynx
• Begins at the level of the hyoid bone

• The inferior end of laryngopharynx opens into

the esophagus posteriorly and the larynx
anteriorly.

• Like the oropharynx, the laryngopharynx is both

a respiratory and a digestive pathway.
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 LARYNX
• The larynx or voice box, is a short passageway that connects the
laryngopharynx with the trachea.

• It lies in the midline of the neck anterior to the esophagus and the
C4–C6 vertebrae.

Functions of larynx:
 Vocalizing (voice box)
 Provides passageway for air
The mucous membrane of the larynx forms two pairs of folds:
1. a superior pair called the ventricular folds (false vocal
cords)doesn’t produce sound
2. an inferior pair called the vocal folds (true vocal
cords)produce sound
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 larynx

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 The larynx

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 The larynx

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 TRACHEA
• The trachea or windpipe, is a tubular passageway for air
• Is measures about 12 cm long and 2.5 cm in diameter.

• The trachea descends from the larynx through the neck

and ends by dividing into the two primary bronchi at the
level of T5 vertebra.
• The layers of the tracheal wall, from deep to superficial:
1. Mucosa
2. Submucosa
3. Hyaline cartilage, and
4. Adventitia (composed of areolar connective tissue)
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 Trachea
• Trachea is formed by 16–20 incomplete C - shaped rings of hyaline
cartilages, which are connected together by dense connective tissue.
• The open part of each C-shaped cartilage ring faces posteriorly
toward the esophagus and is spanned by a fibromuscular
membrane.
• The trachealis muscle and elastic CT of fibromuscular membrane
allow the diameter of the trachea to change subtly during inhalation
and exhalation.

• The solid C-shaped cartilage rings provide a semirigid support to

maintain patency so that the tracheal wall does not collapse inward
and obstruct the air passageway.

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Bronchial tree

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 TRACHEA

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 BRONCHI
• At the superior border of T5 vertebra, the
trachea divides into a right primary bronchus,
and a left primary bronchus.
• The right primary bronchus is more vertical,
shorter, and wider than the left.
• Carina is the point of an internal ridge where
the trachea divides into right and left primary
bronchi.

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 BRONCHI
• On entering the lungs, the primary bronchi divide
to form smaller bronchi—the secondary (lobar)
bronchi.
• The secondary bronchi continue to branch,
forming still smaller bronchi, called tertiary
(segmental) bronchi, that divide into bronchioles.
• Bronchioles in turn branch repeatedly, and the
smallest ones branch into even smaller tubes
called terminal bronchioles.

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 LUNGS
• The lungs are paired cone-shaped organs in the
thoracic cavity.
• Separated from each other by the heart and other
structures of the mediastinum.
• The lungs are the essential organs of respiration.
• They are highly elastic structures.
•  It is this elasticity which is responsible for the
ordinary expiration force.
• Each lung lies free in its own pleural cavity.
•  Its only attachment is at its root.
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 ALVEOLI
• Alveoli , the cellular sites of the exchange of
O2 and CO2 between inspired air and blood,
are saclike structures that make up most of
the lungs.

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 THE PLEURA
• Each lung is enclosed and protected by a double-layered serous
membrane called the pleural membrane.

• The pleura that covers the lung surface (attached to the surface of the
lung) is called the visceral pleura.
• The remainder of the pleura that lines the inside of the thoracic wall is
called the parietal pleura.
• The pleura produces a small amount of fluid that fills the gap b/n the
parietal & visceral layers of pleura  Pleural Cavity.

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 PLEURA

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 Surface anatomy of the lungs
 Fissures of the lungs :
• One or two fissures divide each lung into lobes.
1. Oblique fissure:
– extends from the level of spinous process of T2
vertebra (posteriorly), to 6th costal cartilage
(anteriorly).

2. Horizontal fissure:
– Horzontal fissure of the right lung extends from the
oblique fissure along the 4th rib & costal cartilage
anteriorly.
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 THE LUNGS

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 Surface anatomy of the lungs
• The apex projects above the thoracic inlet into the root of
the neck.
• The base or diaphragmatic surface is related to the
diaphragm.
• The lungs fill lateral thoracic cavities & are divided into
lobes: Left lung has 2 lobes & Right lung has 3 lobes.

• Bulk of the lung surface is against the ribs & is called

costal surface.
• Other surface includes mediastinal surface

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 Surface anatomy of the lungs

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Lung lobes
• Left Lung = 2
lobes
– Upper lobe and
– Lower lobe
Oblique Fissure
separates the
two lobes

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Right Lung = 3 lobes
-Upper lobe
-Middle lobe, and
-Lower lobe

2 fissures:
1. Oblique fissure =
separates middle and
lower lobes anteriorly

2. Horizontal fissure =
separates upper and
middle lobes
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 Surface anatomy of the lungs

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 Surface anatomy of the lungs

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 Lobes & Surface of the Lungs
• Each lung also has 3 borders:
anterior, posterior & inferior.

• Anterior border of the left lung is

pushed out by the heart & this notch
is called the cardiac notch.

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 Root of the lungs
• Bronchi
• Pulmonary arteries
• Pulmonary veins

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 Blood Supply to the lungs:
1. Pulmonary arteries: bring the deoxygenated blood
from heart to lung. - Pulmonary veins transport
oxygenated blood from lung back to heart.
2. Bronchial vessels: take care of the nutrition of the lung
tissues.
• Right bronchial artery usually arises from the 3rd right
posterior intercostal artery.
• Left bronchial arteries (two) originate from the
descending (thoracic) aorta.
 Veins:
• Superficial & Deep bronchial veins drain the lung
tissues.
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 Nerve supply of the lungs
• The bronchial constrictors are innervated by the
Vagus:
1. Bronchial constriction & vasodilation
 Parasympathetic by vagus nerve

2. Bronchial dilation & vasoconstriction

 Sympathetic nerves

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 Thank you!!!!

06/10/2024