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Respiratory System in Babies

Respiratory System in Babies

Programs that treat this condition or perform this procedure

	Center for Healthy Infant Lung Development (CHILD)		Lung Transplant Program
	Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)		Chronic Pulmonary and Ventilator Program

Related Video: Cold Medicine and Children

Michael Shannon, MD, MPH

View an interview with Michael Shannon, MD, MPH on the dangers of cold medications and learn how parents can safely treat their child with a cold.

What is respiration?

Respiration is the act of breathing:

inhaling (inspiration) - taking in oxygen
exhaling (expiration) - giving off carbon dioxide

What makes up the respiratory system?

The respiratory system is made up of the organs involved in the interchanges of gases, and consists of the:

nose
pharynx
larynx
trachea
bronchi
lungs

The upper respiratory tract includes the:

nose
nasal cavity
ethmoidal air cells
frontal sinuses
maxillary sinus
larynx
trachea

The lower respiratory tract includes the:

lungs
bronchi
alveoli

What is the function of the lungs?

click to enlarge

The lungs take in oxygen, which cells need to live and carry out their normal functions. The lungs also get rid of carbon dioxide, a waste product of the body's cells.

The lungs are a pair of cone-shaped organs made up of spongy, pinkish-gray tissue. They take up most of the space in the chest, or the thorax (the part of the body between the base of the neck and diaphragm).

The lungs are enveloped in a membrane called the pleura.

The lungs are separated from each other by the mediastinum, an area that contains the following:

heart and its large vessels
trachea (windpipe)
esophagus
thymus
lymph nodes

The right lung has three sections, called lobes. The left lung has two lobes. When you breathe, the air:

enters the body through the nose or the mouth.
travels down the throat through the larynx (voice box) and trachea (windpipe).
goes into the lungs through tubes called main-stem bronchi.

one main-stem bronchus leads to the right lung and one to the left lung

in the lungs, the main-stem bronchi divide into smaller bronchi

bronchioles end in tiny air sacs called alveoli

Breathing in babies:

An important part of lung development in babies is the production of surfactant. This is a substance made by the cells in the small airways and consists of phospholipids and protein. It begins to be produced in the fetus at about 24 to 28 weeks of pregnancy. Surfactant is found in amniotic fluid between 28 and 32 weeks. By about 35 weeks gestation, most babies have developed adequate amounts of surfactant. Surfactant is normally released into the lung tissues where it helps lower surface tension in the airways. This helps keep the lung alveoli (air sacs) open. Premature babies may not have enough surfactant in their lungs and may have difficulty breathing.


					Children's Hospital Boston is the primary pediatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School

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