General Respiratory Questions Week 11

Respiratory General Questions

1. What is the function of the epiglottis?

2. Do you see any anatomical reason why the right lung has more lobes than the left lung - and is subsequently larger and heavier?

3. What physiological advantage do you see in the changing proportions of muscle and cartilage as you descend the bronchial tree?

4. What are the sinuses and where are the major sinuses located?

5. What is the difference between pulmonary ventilation and external respiration?

6. What is the difference between inhalation and exhalation?

7. How is the cardiovascular system related to the respiratory system?

8. What is the function of surfactant?

1. It is a flap of cartilage that opens and closes to prevent food particles from entering into the lungs.

2. The left lung is smaller to compensate for the heart.

3. The smooth muscle gives the bronchiole the ability to dilate or constrict. If you're breathing in something the body doesn't like, it can constrict the bronchioles to not allow it into the lungs. If your body needs to increase external respiration it can dilate the bronchioles.

4. Sinuses are air pockets that are located within the bones of the skull and face and are connected to your nasal passages by small tubes or channels. These channels permit air to flow from the nose into the sinuses and allow drainage of mucous from each sinus into the nose. We have 4 major sinuses on each side: Frontal, Ethmoid, Maxillary and Sphenoid.

5. Pulmonary ventilation is the process of breathing (inspiration and expiration). External respiration is the process of gas exchange between the lungs and the blood. Oxygen diffuses into the blood, while CO2 diffuses from the blood into the lungs.

6. Inhalation is taking in air through you nasal passages, and exhalation is the getting rid of carbon dioxide through the same passages.

7. The respiratory system is responsible for exchange of O2 and CO2 in the...