WHY CAN’T I BREATHE? A VERY INFORMATIVE SLIDE SHOW ON THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM The combination of bronchi and lungs as well as blood vessels that help with the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide Uses diffusion….oxygen diffuses in and CO 2 diffusion out.

HERE IS WHAT CAN GO WRONG…. Nose hairs They filter out particles in the air…dust, smog, and bugs. They also slow down air movement so it gets WARMSbefore it hits your lungs. What if you didn’t have nose hairs? You cannot filter stuff and the cold air can hurt as it goes down! Bugs fly in.

EPIGLOTTIS This flipper covers the trachea when you swallow. Here is a short video showing this: What happens if it doesn’t’close when you swallow because you are laughing or eating too fast? You get food going down your trachea and you can choke.

TRACHEA AND BRONCHI These serve as passages for air….they have cartilage rings that give them stiffness so they can stay open. What happens if they get clogged with food? Choke What happens if they get narrow when you have asthma? Can’t breathe What happens if you have a bad cold and they get filled with mucus? You cough, you cant breathe as well.

WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BRONCHI IF YOU SMOKE? You destroy the cilia. Cilia Help move particles and musuxsout of the lungs

SMOKER CILIA ON left, normal cilia. On right, smoker bronchi What is the classic symptom of smokers that shows that they have destroyed their cilia? Smoker’s cough…hack, hack, hack!

LET’S LOOK AT SOME MORE PICTURES OF TRACHEA AND BRONCHI BRONCHITIS…. SEE HOW CLOGGED THE BRONCHI ARE WITH MUCUS?

ASTHMA…SEE THE BRONCHIOLES CLOSING UP DURING THE ATTACK. SEE THE ALVEOLUS AT THE END? NO OXYGEN FOR HIM.

LUNGS Of course, these are two air-filled sacs that ARE NOT MUSCLE!!!! They have lots of air spaces and lots of blood vessels. Look at all the blood vessels in this picture! What happens if you have less lung tissue due to lung cancer surgery? Cant get enough oxygen,. Your lung volume goes down. What happens if the lungs cannot expand due to cystic fibrosis? Low oxygen, fingers turn blue,

EMPHYSEMA…WHEN YOU SMOKE OR INHALE DUST OVER LONG TIME PERIODS Can you see the lack of blood vessels in the bad lung? Less surface area…less oxygen diffuses in.

DIAPHRAGM This is the only part of the respiratory system that is a muscle. When it contracts, what happens to the size of the chest? Increases. When the chest gets bigger, what happens to air pressure inside? Lower When the air pressure inside is lower than outside, what happens to air around our face? It easily diffuses in. When the diaphragm contracts, what happens to the lungs? The get squished a bit, air pushes out. T his is called exhaling.

DIAPHRAGM CONTRACTING AND FLEXING

DON’T SMOKE…VIDEO SHOWS WHY.