Anatomy and

Physiology

NBNS2113
Respiratory Nursing
Learning outcomes

1. Describe the anatomy and physiology of respiratory system.

2. Discuss the airway structure and relate with the disease.
3. Discuss the breathing mechanism.
4. Describe the control of ventilation in respiratory.
 Overview of respiratory tract

+ The respiratory system is the network of

organs and tissues that help you
breathe. It includes your airways, lungs
and blood vessels.

+ The muscles that power your lungs are

also part of the respiratory system.
These parts work together to move
oxygen throughout the body and clean
out waste gases like carbon dioxide.

+
 Airway structure
+ The respiratory system has many different parts that work together to help
breathing. Each group of parts has many separate components.
+ The airways deliver air to the lungs. The airways includes:
• Mouth and nose: Openings that pull air from outside the body into the
respiratory system.
• Sinuses: Hollow areas between the bones in the head that help regulate the
temperature and humidity of the air inhaled.
+
Cont..
• Epiglottis: Tissue flap at the entrance to the trachea that
closes when you swallow to keep food and liquids out of
your airway.
• Larynx (voice box): Hollow organ that allows you to talk
and make sounds when air moves in and out.
• Pharynx (throat): Tube that delivers air from the
mouth and nose to the trachea (windpipe).
Cont..
• Trachea: Passage connecting the throat and lungs.
• Bronchial tubes: Tubes at the bottom of the windpipe that connect into
each lung.
• Lungs: Two organs that remove oxygen from the air and pass it into the
blood.
 Cont..

+ From the lungs, the bloodstream delivers oxygen to all the organs and other
tissues.
+ Muscles and bones help move the air inhaled into and out of the lungs. Some of the
bones and muscles in the respiratory system include:
• Diaphragm: Muscle that helps the lungs pull in air and push it out.
• Ribs: Bones that surround and protect the lungs and heart.
 Cont..
+ When breathing out, the blood carries carbon dioxide and other waste out of the body.
Other components that work with the lungs and blood vessels include:
• Lung lobes: Sections of the lungs — three lobes in the right lung and two in the left
lung.
• Pleura: Thin sacs that surround each lung lobe and separate the lungs from the chest
wall.
• Bronchioles: Small branches of the bronchial tubes that lead to the alveoli.
• Alveoli: Tiny air sacs in the lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide
takes place.
• Capillaries: Blood vessels in the alveoli walls that move oxygen and carbon dioxide.
 What happen during a breath

+ The process of breathing, or respiration, is divided into two distinct

phases. The first phase is called inspiration or inhaling. When the
lungs inhale, the diaphragm contracts and pulls downward. At the
same time, the muscles between the ribs contract and pull upward.
This increases the size of the thoracic cavity and decreases the
pressure inside. As a result, air rushes in and fills the lungs.
+ The second phase is called expiration or exhaling. When the
lungs exhale, the diaphragm relaxes, and the volume of the thoracic
cavity decreases, while the pressure within it increases. As a result,
the lungs contract and air is forced out.
 Control of airway calibre
+ Airway calibre is determined by age and genetic factors and can be modulated by the
parasympathetic nervous system, sympathetic activity, and the non-adrenergic, non-
cholinergic system (The noradrenergic noncholinergic (NANC) nerves are modulators of
the pulmonary circulation that are not inhibited by adrenergic or cholinergic blockade. The
response of the pulmonary circulation to NANC input can be either vasodilation or
constriction.)

+ Worldwide, the most important diseases causing airway obstruction are

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.

+ Although both diseases are caused by chronic airway inflammation, their underlying
pathophysiological mechanisms are different.
Cont..

+ Normal upper pharyngeal airway space is 15–20 mm while

lower pharyngeal airway (LPA) space is 11–14 mm.
+ Skeletal features such as retrusion of the maxilla and
mandible and vertical maxillary excess in hyperdivergent
patients may lead to narrower anteroposterior
dimensions of the airway.
Further reading as reference (additional)

+ http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/content/bpl_image
s/content_store/sample_chapter/0632064935/BLUK015-
15-164-180.pdf