Abstract
This chapter presents the physiological study results of the respiratory system. The lungs and respiratory passages, or airways, are an invagination of the body surface specifically modified for the easy and rapid transfer of the respiratory gases—oxygen and carbon dioxide—to and from the blood. Air is moved actively through the nose, passes the oro-nasal cavity, and then reaches the trachea that divides into a right and a left bronchus both of which subdivide into bronchioles. These divide into smaller and smaller branches until they terminate in bubble-like sacs, the alveoli. These are formed of a single layer of epithelial cells and profusely covered with capillaries. The lungs are enclosed in a double layer of fibrous and elastic tissue called the pleura. Blood reaches the lungs from the right side of the heart through the pulmonary arteries and returns to the left atrium in the pulmonary veins. The bronchioles and bronchi have a separate blood supply. The only tissue in the lungs apart from the alveolar membranes and the tissues of blood vessels, bronchi and bronchioles, is the small amount of fibrous and elastic tissue that supports the alveoli. Ventilation also is greatest at the base of the lungs and least at the apices but the difference is relatively much less than for perfusion.
Published Version
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