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 (airways)
alveoli (air sacs)
What is the function of the lungs?
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 and then into even smaller tubes called bronchioles.
bronchioles end in tiny air sacs called alveoli.
The information on this website should not be taken as medical advice, which can only be given to you by your personal health care professional.
