HUMAN RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

- Series of organs responsible for taking in oxygen and expelling carbon

dioxide
- The primary organs of the respiratory system are the lungs, which carry
out this exchange of gases as we breathe.

Parts of the Respiratory System:

 Nose – projecting above the mouth on the face of a person or animal,

containing the nostrils and used for breathing and smelling (olfaction).
 Nasal Cavity – moisten, warm and trap dust particles in the air coming
in through the nostrils. The nasal cavity opens behind the pharynx.
 Pharynx
- membrane-lined cavity behind the nose and mouth, connecting them to
the esophagus.
- Pharynx is divided into:
o Nasopharynx – defined as the upper part of the pharynx, connecting
with the nasal cavity above the soft palate.
 o Oropharynx – includes the back third of the tongue, the soft palate,
the side and back walls of the throat, and the tonsils .
o Laryngopharynx – a crucial connection point through which food,
water, and air pass.
 Larynx
- also called the voice box, it lies at the top of the trachea.
- Epiglottis covers the mouth of glottis when we swallow food, so that
the food may not enter the trachea.
- There is a present pair of vocal cords inside the larynx. As air passes
through the larynx, vibrations are produced and create a sound.

Two types of Vocal Cords:

1. False Vocal Cord – folds of mucus lining.

2. True Vocal Cord – Fibro-elastic bands stretched across the interior of
the larynx.

 Trachea – cartilaginous tube 10-11 cm in length extending the larynx to

bronchi. It is lined with ciliated mucosa and it is the passageway of air
to and from the lungs.
 Lungs – cone shaped organs which completely fill the pleural spaces
extending from slightly above the clavicle to the diaphragm where the
base of the lungs rest. It is covered by visceral pleura.

Structures associated with Lungs:

A. Bronchi – right and left formed by branching of trachea.

B. Bronchioles – smaller branches of bronchi.
C. Alveolar Ducts – microscopic branches of bronchioles.
D. Alveoli – microscopic sacs at the ends of the alveolar ducts provided
with a network of lung capillaries. It also serves for the exchange of
gases between blood and air.
Types of Breathing:

1. Eupnoea – normal, quiet breathing.

2. Apnea – temporary cessation of breathing.
3. Dyspnea – difficulty of breathing.
4. Orthopnea – inability to breath easily in horizontal position.
5. Tachypnea – rapid and shallow breathing.

Diseases of the Human Respiratory System:

 Laryngitis – an inflammation of the larynx from overuse, irritation, or

infection.
 Asthma – a condition in which your airways narrow and swell and may
produce extra mucus. This can make breathing difficult and trigger
coughing, a whistling sound (wheezing) when you breathe out, and
shortness of breath.
 Pneumonia – an infection that inflames your lungs’ air sacs (alveoli).
The air sacs may fill up with fluid or pus, causing symptoms such as a
cough, fever, chills and trouble breathing.
 Tuberculosis – caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium
Tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but they can also
damage other parts of the body. TB spreads through the air when a
person with TB of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, or talks.
 Lung Cancer – uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both
lungs. These abnormal cells do not carry out the functions of normal
lung cells and do not develop into healthy lung tissue.

Amount of air exchanged in BRW:

- Measured by an apparatus called spirometer.

A. Tidal Air – average amount expired/exhaled after normal respiration of
500ml.
B. Expiratory Reserved Volume (ERV) – largest additional volume of air
that can be forcefully expired after a normal inspiration and expiration;
1000ml-2000ml
C. Inspiratory Reserved Volume (IRV) – largest additional volume of air
that can be forcibly inspired after a normal respiration; 3000-3300ml
D. Residual Air – that which cannot be forcibly expired from lungs; about
1200ml
E. Minimal Air – that which can never be removed from alveoli if they
have been inflated once, even though lungs are subjected to
atmospheric pressure that squeezes part of the residual air out.
F. Vital Capacity – approximate capacity of lungs as measured by the
amount of air that can be forcibly expired after forcible inspiration;
varies with the size of thoracic activity, which is determined by various
factors (e.g. size of rib cage, size of heart)