Respiratory System
By: Madiha Saleem
RM, BSN, MSN(Scholar) DIONAM DUHS
Dow University of Health Sciences
Objectives
At the end of this session learner will be able to:
• Define respiratory system.
• Define respiration.
• Describe the structure and the function of following
• The upper respiratory tract (Nose, Pharynx, Larynx)
• The lower respiratory tract (Trachea, Bronchial
tree, lungs)
• Discuss the physiology of respiration by explaining
the mechanism of Pulmonary Ventilation External
Respiration Internal Respiration
• Discuss nervous control of respiration
• Briefly discuss the lung volumes & capacities
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Respiratory System
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Respiratory System
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Respiratory System
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Respiratory System
• The respiratory system contributes to
homeostasis by providing for the
exchange of gasses, oxygen and
carbon dioxide between the
atmospheric air, blood, and tissue
cells.
• It also helps adjust the PH of body
fluids.
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Respiratory System
Respiratory system consist of:
Nose
Pharynx (Throat)
Larynx (Voice Box)
Trachea (Wind Pipe)
Bronchi
Lungs
Its parts can be classified according to either
structure and function
Respiratory System
Structurally respiratory system consist of
two parts
The upper Respiratory System
• Nose
• Pharynx
• Associate structure
The Lower Respiratory System
• Larynx (Voice Box)
• Trachea (Wind Pipe)
• Bronchi
• lungs
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Respiratory System
Functionally, the reparatory system is consists
of:
The Conducting zone
The Respiratory zone
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The Conducting Zone
The conducting zone consist on:
• Nose
• Pharynx
• Larynx
• Trachea
• Bronchi
• Bronchioles
• Terminal Bronchioles
Function
( Warm and filter the air)
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The Respiratory Zone
• Respiratory Bronchioles
• Alveolar ducts
• Alveolar sac
• Alveoli
Function
(Gas exchanges between air and blood)
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Nose
• Nose can be divided into external and internal
portions.
External Nose
• The external nose consists of a supporting
framework of bone and hyaline cartilage.
• Frontal bone, nasal bone, maxillae form bony
framework of the external nose.
• The cartilages framework of external nose consists
of:
• Septal cartilages
• Lateral nasal cartilages
• Alar cartilages
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Internal Nose
• Internal nose is a large cavity in the anterior
aspects of the skull.
• It lies interior to nasal bone and superior to
mouth.
• It lined with muscle and mucous membrane
• The space between internal nose is called
nasal cavity.
• Interior portion of the nasal cavity just inside
the nostrils called vestibule.
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Internal Nose
• Mucous secreted by the goblet cells
moistens the air and traps the air particles.
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Olfactory Nerve
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Nose
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Nose
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Nose
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Pharynx
• It is funnel shaped tube about 13cm long.
• It starts at the internal nares and extends to the
level of cricoid cartilage.
• The pharynx lies just posterior to the nasal and oral
cavities, superior to the larynx and just anterior to
the cervical vertebrae.
• The pharynx function as a passageway for air and
food.
• Provide a resonating chamber for speech sound,
and houses the tonsils which participate in
immunological reaction against foreign invader.
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Pharynx
• Pharynx can be divided into three
anatomical regions.
• Nasopharynx (Superior portion)
• Oropharynx (Intermediate portion)
• Laryngopharynx (Inferior portion)
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Pharynx
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Larynx
• Larynx or voice box is a short passageway
that connects the laryngopharynx with
trachea.
• It lies on the midline of neck anterior to
esophagus and through C4th to C6th cervical
vertebrae.
• The wall of larynx is composed of nine
pieces of cartilage.
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Larynx
Three cartilages occurs singly
• Thyroid cartilage (Adam s Apple)
• Epiglottis (leaf shaped)
• Cricoid cartilage (Ring like)
Three cartilages occurs in paired
• Arytenoid Triangular pieces
• Cuneiform (horn shaped)
• Corniculate cartilage (club shaped)
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Thyroid Cartilage (Adam s Apple)
• The thyroid cartilage consist of two fused
plates of hyaline cartilage that form the
anterior wall of the larynx and give it a
triangular shape.
• It present in both male and females but is
usually larger in males due to the influence
of male sex hormones on its growth during
puberty.
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Epiglottis
• It is large leaf like piece of elastic cartilage
and covered with epithelium
• During the swallowing, the pharynx and
larynx rise.
• Elevation of pharynx widens it to receive
food or drink
• Elevation of larynx causes the epiglottis to
move down and form a lid over glottis,
closing it off.
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Cricoid Cartilage
• It is a ring of hyaline cartilage and forms the
inferior wall of the larynx.
Arytenoid Cartilage
• It is paired Arytenoid Cartilages
• It is triangular pieces of hyaline cartilages.
• They attach the vocal folds and intrinsic
pharyngeal muscles
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Cuneiform Cartilage
• Club shaped elastic cartilages anterior to
the corniculate cartilage support the vocal
folds and lateral aspects of the epiglottis.
Corniculate Cartilage
• Horn shaped pieces of elastic cartilage
are located at the apex of each
arytenoid cartilage.
• They are supporting structure of for
the epiglottis.
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Trachea
• The trachea or windpipe is a tubular
passageway for air that is about 12cm long
and 2.5cm in diameter.
• The 16-20 incomplete horizontal rings of
hyaline cartilage resemblance the letter C.
• It is located anterior to the esophagus and
extends from the larynx to the superior
border of the fifth thoracic vertebra where
divided into right and left primary bronchi.
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Bronchi
• At the superior border of the 5th thoracic
vertebrae, trachea divides into right primary
bronchi and left primary bronchi which goes
into lungs.
• The right bronchi is more vertical, shorter,
wider than left primary bronchi.
• It is lined by pseudostratified ciliated
columnar epithelium.
• At the point where trachea divides into right
and left is known as carina.
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Bronchi
• The primary bronchi divides into secondary
bronchi (Lobar bronchi.
• The secondary bronchi divides into 9 or 10
tertiary bronchi (Segmental bronchi)
• Tertiary bronchi divides into bronchioles.
• Bronchioles divides into terminal
bronchioles.
• The terminal bronchioles divides into
respiratory bronchioles.
• This extensive branching is known as
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Alveolar Ducts
• Respiratory bronchioles open into expensive
chambers called Alveolar ducts.
• These passageway ends at alveolar sacs.
Alveolar Sacs
• It is common chambers connected to
individual alveoli
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Alveoli
Alveoli is a cup shaped out pouching lined
by simple squamous epithelium.
Alveolar Cells
Type I alveolar cells:
It is simple squamous epithelial cells.
It is main sites of gas exchange.
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Type II Alveolar Cells:
• It is also known as septal cells.
• Rounded cuboidal epithelial cells.
• It secretes the alveolar fluid, which moist the air.
• It produces the surfactant.
• Surfactant is complex mixture of phospholipids
and lipoprotein.
• Surfactant lowers the surface tension of alveolar
fluid, which reduces the tendency of alveoli to
collapse.
Alveolar Macrophages (Duct Cells):
It removes the fine dust or other debris from the
alveolar sacs
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Respiratory Zone of Lower Respiratory
Tract
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Lungs
• Lungs are paired, cone-shaped organs in the
thoracic cavity.
• They are separated from each other by the heart
and other structures in the mediastinum.
• The outer covering of lungs is called pleura.
• Pleura is composed of pleural membrane.
• Pleural membrane has two layers
• Partial pleura
• Visceral pleura
• Pleural fluid lubricates the both membranes and
prevents from friction
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Lungs
• Lungs extend from the diaphragm to just
slightly superior to the clavicles and lie
against the ribs anteriorly and posteriorly.
• Broad inferior portion is base which is
concave.
• Narrow superior portion is called apex.
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Blood Supply to Lungs
• Pulmonary arteries
• Pulmonary vein
• Bronchial arteries( it the branch of aorta
which deliver the blood to the lungs)
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Respiratory System Functions
• Transfer of O2 (Oxygen) from atmosphere to
tissues
• Transfer the CO2 ( Carbon Dioxide) from the
tissues to the air
• Produces sound
• Contains receptors for smell
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Respiratory Events
• Pulmonary ventilation = exchange of gases
between lungs and atmosphere
• External respiration = exchange of gases
between alveoli and pulmonary capillaries
• Internal respiration = exchange of gases
between systemic capillaries and tissue cells
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Nervous Control of Respiration
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Lungs Volumes and Capacities
• A Healthy adult averages 12 breaths a minutes with
each inhalation and exhalation moving about 500ml
of air into and out of the lungs.
• The volume of one breath is called the tidal volume
(VT).
• The minute ventilation (MV) the total volume of air
inhaled and exhaled each minutes is respiratory
rate multiplied by tidal volume.
MV= 12 Breaths/min * 500 mL/Breath
=6 liters/min
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Lungs Volumes and Capacities
• Lung capacities are combination of specific lung volumes.
• Inspiratory capacity is the sum of tidal volume and inspiratory
reserve (500mL + 3100mL = 3600mL in males and 500mL +
1900mL=2400mL in female)
• Functional residual capacity is the sum of residual volume and
expiratory reserve volume (1200mL+1200mL = 2400mL in males and
1100mL + 700 mL = 1800mL in Females)
• Vital Capacity is the sum of inspiratory reserve volume, tidal volume,
and expiratory reserve volume(4800mL In males and 3100mL in
females)
• Total Lung Capacity is the sum of vital capacity and residual volume
(4800mL + 1200mL = 6000mL in males and 3100mL+1100mL=4200mL
in females)
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Overview of Respiratory System
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References
• Tortora, J. G., Derrichson, B. (2006).Principles of Anatomy
and Physiology. (11th ed). USA: New York. John Willey 7 sons ,
Inc.
• Martini, H. F. (200). Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology.
(2nd ed). USA: New Jersey. Prentice Hall.
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