BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING

ANPH 111 (Anatomy and Physiology)

COURSE MODULE COURSE UNIT WEEK
2 9 11
The Respiratory System

ü Read course and unit objectives

ü Read study guide prior to class attendance
ü Read required learning resources; refer to unit terminologies for jargons
ü Proactively participate in classroom discussions
ü Participate in weekly discussion board (Canvas)
ü Answer and submit course unit tasks.

VanPutte, Cinnamon. Regan, Jennifer. Russo, Andrew (2016). Seeley’s Essentials of Anatomy &
Physiology Penn Plaza, New York, New York, McGraw-Hill Education, 10th Edition

Computer device or smartphone with internet access (at least 54 kbps; average data
subscription will suffice)
At the end of the course unit (CM), learners will be able to:

Cognitive
• Describe the anatomy of the respiratory system
• Identify parts of the upper respiratory and lower respiratory tract
• Differentiate functions of each parts
• Recognize what is respiration, ventilation and perfusion
• Explain how the respiratory system is controlled by the nervous system
Affective
• Listen attentively during class discussions
• Demonstrate tact and respect of other students’ opinions and ideas
• Accept comments and reactions of classmates openly

Psychomotor
• Participate actively during class discussions
• Follow class rules and observe compliance to Netiquette
• Use critical thinking to identify areas of care that could benefit from additional research or
application of evidence-based practices
• Integrate knowledge of trends in Anatomy and Physiology of the respiratory system

Alveoli - Air sac in the lungs; functional unit of the lungs

Bronchi - The two main branches leading from the trachea to the lungs that serve as
passageways for air
Bronchioles - One of the smaller subdivisions of the bronchial tubes
Epiglottis - The uppermost cartilage of the larynx; closes during swallowing to direct food and
liquids into the esophagus
Expiration – exhalation; breathing out; process by which air moves out of the lungs
Glottis - The opening between the vocal cords
Hilum - Opening on the lung’s medial surface through which primary bronchi and pulmonary
blood vessels pass
Inspiration – inhalation; breathing in; process by which air enters the lungs
Intrapleural pressure - The pressure between the visceral and parietal pleurae, which assists
with lung expansion
Larynx - Structure made of cartilage and muscle at the upper end of the trachea; part of the
airway and the vocal apparatus
Palate - Bony structure separating the mouth from the nasal cavity
Partial pressure - The contribution of a single gas in a mixture of gases toward the total
pressure of the gas mixture
Perfusion – Blood flows into the alveolar capillaries from the right ventricle, CO2 is brought to
the alveoli for exchange of oxygen
Pharynx - Muscular tube behind the oral and nasal cavities; commonly called the throat
Pleura -Serous membrane covering the lungs and the thoracic cavity
Respiration – gas exchange; giving Oxygen to the cells and removing Carbon dioxide
Surfactant - Lipoprotein secreted by alveolar cells that decreases surface tension of the fluid
lining the alveoli, permitting expansion of alveoli
Tidal volume - The amount of air inhaled and exhaled during quiet breathing
Trachea - Portion of the respiratory tract that carries air through the neck and upper chest
Ventilation - The movement of air into and out of the lungs
Vital capacity - The amount of air that can be inhaled and exhaled with the deepest possible
breath

9.1 OVERVIEW OF THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

Respiratory system Is an open system. It allows oxygen to enter our body and carbon dioxide
to be removed out of the body. There are 2 divisions of the respiratory system:
The upper respiratory tract
The lower respiratory tract

9.1.1 Functions
1. Gas exchange
2. Regulation of blood pH
3. Voice Production
4. Olfaction
5. Innate Immunity
6. Ventilation
 Figure 9.1 Overview of the Respiratory System

9.2 STRUCTURES

9.2.1 Upper Respiratory Tract

The upper respiratory tract is from the nose to the larynx and the lower respiratory tract
is from the trachea to the alveoli.

The upper respiratory tract is kept open by the cartilages. These are non-collapsible
structures that prevent collapse of tissues. It is important that this system remain open.
The lower respiratory tract is composed also of cartilages in the trachea and the bronchi
and bronchioles are lined by the smooth muscles. When smooth muscles contract
bronchioles constrict and when smooth muscles relax, bronchioles dilate.

Nose – this is not only the organ for smelling but also the opening of the respiratory
system. People may breathe through the mouth but is more proper to breathe through the
nose since the nose contains protective structures that may prevent entry of foreign
bodies. These structures are the hair, the mucus which can trap foreign bodies and the
nasal turbinate which may warm a cool air or cool a warm air.

Nasopharynx serves as passageway of air from the nose to the larynx

Larynx - this is the largest cartilage of the body. It serves not only as the passageway of
air but also the organ for phonation or sound production. The larynx is made up of
unpaired and paired cartilages.

The thyroid cartilage is the largest single piece. It is also called the Adam’s apple and
usually larger in men.

The epiglottis is a large single, leaf shaped piece of cartilage. It pulls down the glottis
when we swallow to keep food or liquid from getting into the trachea.

The cricoid cartilage is a single ring of cartilage that connects with the tracheal rings
The paired arytenoid cartilage is ladle-shaped and are attached to the vocal cords and
laryngeal muscles

The paired corniculate cartilages are cone-shaped and the paired cuneiforms are rod-
shaped.

The glottis is the opening of the larynx over the true vocal cords, air coming from the
lungs cause the vocal cord to vibrate producing sounds. Pitch is controlled by the tension
on the vocal cords. The stronger the tension, the higher the pitch. True vocal cords are
thicker in men and produce low pitch when they vibrate

Figure 9.2 Structure of the Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract

*Photo and content taken from Understanding Anatomy and Physiology: A Visual, Auditory, Interactive
Approach by Gale Sloan Thompson (2015)
9.2.2 Lower Respiratory Tract
Trachea or windpipe – 4 – 5 inch tubular passageway for air and is located anterior to
the esophagus, it is lined by pseudostratified columnar ciliated with goblet cells that
produce mucus. The smooth muscles and the connective tissues are encircled by
incomplete rings of cartilages shaped like a stack of Cs. The open part of the Cs faces
the esophagus that allows the trachea to expand as the person swallows. The closed part
of the Cs forms a solid support to prevent collapse of the tracheal wall.

Sneezing and coughing reflexes expel foreign body as they enter the respiratory system.

The Bronchi and the bronchial tree

The lung is like an inverted tree, the trunk is the trachea and it divides into several
branches. Larger branches are called bronchi and smaller ones are called bronchioles.
The trachea divides into two primary bronchi, the point in the trachea where it divides into
right and left bronchi is called the carina. The right primary bronchus is shorter than the
left and therefore foreign body can easily get into the right than the left bronchus. These
primary bronchi divide into secondary bronchi and tertiary bronchioles that go with the
lobes of the lungs. The right lung has 3 lobes and the left lung has 2 lobes. Bronchioles
finally branch into smallest bronchioles called terminal bronchioles. These are often
referred to as bronchial tree.

The lungs

The lungs are located in the thoracic cavity protected by the ribs. The pleural membrane
encloses each lung. It is composed of two layers of serous membranes; the outer is the
parietal pleura and the inner is the visceral pleura. Between these two layers is a pleural
cavity which contains a lubricating fluid that prevent friction as the lungs expands.

The segments of the lung tissue that each tertiary or segmental bronchi supplies is called
bronchopulmonary segments. Each of these segments is divided into a number of lobules
wrapped in elastic connective tissue with a lymphatic vessel, an arteriole, a venule and
bronchioles from terminal bronchioles. Terminal bronchioles divide into microscopic
respiratory bronchioles, which further divide into 2 – 11 alveolar ducts or atria. Around the
circumference of the alveolar ducts are alveoli and alveolar sacs. Alveoli are grapelike
outpouchings of epithelium and elastic basement membrane surrounded externally a
capillary network. An alveolar sac is two or more that share a common opening. The
microscopic membrane through which the respiratory gasses move is this alveolo-
capillary (respiratory) membrane.
9.3 RESPIRATORY FUNCTION
Respiration is the process of gas exchange. Although the respiratory system is responsible for
this, it is controlled by the Central Nervous System (CNS). The brain stem contains the
respiratory center which can be stimulated by chemoreceptors, these are special cells that detect
changes in partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide. If oxygen is low and carbon dioxide
is high, this is detected by the chemoreceptors and stimulate the respiratory center to promote
breathing.

Ventilation refers to movement of air between the lungs and the atmosphere. When air enters
the lungs, it carries oxygen and it goes to the blood through the pulmonary capillaries. Perfusion
refers to the flow of blood to the lungs from the right ventricle and it is carrying greater amount
of carbon dioxide, when blood goes to the pulmonary capillaries, oxygen from air enters the
blood and the carbon dioxide from the blood goes to the alveoli for release into the atmosphere.
This is also called external respiration when there is exchange of gasses between the lungs and
the blood. When the oxygenated blood goes to the tissues, oxygen is delivered to the tissues
and the carbon dioxide produced by the cells is brought to the blood to be carried to the lungs.
This is called internal respiration.

9.4 MECHANICS OF BREATHING

Inspiration – this is an active process, meaning inspiratory muscles need to contract before
inspiration happened. The major inspiratory muscles are the diaphragm and the external
intercostals. When diaphragm contract, it flattens, thus increasing the diameter of the thoracic
cage vertically and when the internal intercostal muscles contract it expands the thoracic cage
further, lungs expand with the thoracic cage, air from the atmosphere enters the lungs. This
process is also called inhalation.

Expiration – this is a passive process, meaning no muscles need to contract during expiration.
This is cause only by the recoil of the lungs. The lungs are elastic, stretchable and distensible
like a rubber, when it expands and stops, lungs would recoil back to its original size bringing
back the thoracic wall to its size also. Therefore, it is the expansion of the thoracic cage that
would cause the lungs to expand and when lungs recoil, thoracic cage goes back to its size
expelling the air that has entered earlier during inhalation. This is called expiration or exhalation.
Although we have major muscles for expiration like sternocleidomastoid and internal intercostal
muscles, these muscles are used only during labored breathing thus they are being referred to
as accessory muscles.
9.5 PROTECTIVE STRUCTURES OF THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

1. Nose – presence of hair, mucus and turbinate, trap foreign body

2. Pseudostratified columnar ciliated epithelium with goblet cells producing mucus –
not allow entry of foreign substances by coughing them out
3. Alveolar macrophages – phagocytes in the alveoli; responsible for engulfing foreign cell
that has entered the alveoli. The macrophage pours the hydrolytic enzymes into the
foreign cells causing destruction of foreign cells. The enzyme however may also be
poured into the alveolar wall and destroy it but this is inhibited by another protective
structure called
4. Alpha 1 antitrypsin – chemical that protect the alveolar wall against enzymatic
destruction
5. Surfactant – chemical produced by alpha 1 antitrypsin which decrease surface tension
and prevents collapse of the alveolar wall.

Rizzo, D. C. (2016). Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology (Fourth ed.). Boston,

Massachussetts: Cengage Learning.
Thompson, G. S. (2015). Understanding Anatomy & Physiology: A Visual, Auditory, Interactive
Approach,2nd Edition. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis Company.
Tortora, G. J., & Freudenrich, C. C. (2011). Visualizing Anatomy & Physiology. John Wiley &
Sons, Inc. .
VanPutte, C., Regan, J., & Russo, A. (2016). Seeley's Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology. New
York, New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Create a knowledge matrix enumerating the parts of the respiratory system and its functions
(50 points). Follow this pattern

Part Structure Function