Respiratory System 9 Pulmonology The medical specialty of pulmonology, also called pulmonary medicine, is the branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases involving the structures of the lower respiratory tract, including the lungs, their airways and blood vessels, and the chest wall (thoracic cage). Medical doctors who treat respiratory disorders are called pulmonologists. Anatomy and Physiology Overview The respiratory system consists of the upper and lower respiratory tracts. The upper tract includes the nose, pharynx, larynx, and trachea. The lower tract includes the left and right bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, and the lungs. (See Figure 4-1.) The main function of the respiratory system is to perform pulmonary ventilation of the body. Respiratory structures, along with the structures of the cardiovascular system, transport oxygen and remove carbon dioxide (waste product) from the cells of the body. This process is accomplished by events of respiration, exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide between the environmental air and the blood circulating through the lungs. Secondary functions of the respiratory system include warming air as it passes into the body and assisting in the speech function (providing air for the larynx and the vocal cords). 1
2 Nasal cavity Nose Palatine tonsils Epiglottis Thyroid cartilage Apex of lung Laryngopharynx Larynx Adenoids Nasopharynx Oropharynx Glottis and vocal cords Trachea Right and left primary bronchi Mediastinum Right lung Visceral pleura Diaphragm Bronchiole Left lung Base of lung Pleural cavity Parietal pleura Deoxygenated blood from heart Bronchiole Alveoli Alveolus O 2 CO 2 Pulmonary capillaries Oxygenated blood to heart Pulmonary capillary Exchange of gases between an alveolus and a pulmonary capillary Figure 4-1 Anterior view of the upper and lower respiratory tracts.
3 RESPIRATORY SYSTEM Word Element This section introduces combining forms (CFs) related to the respiratory system. Included key suffixes; prefixes are defined in the right-hand column as needed. Combining Forms UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT adenoid/o adenoids adenoid/ectomy (ăd-ĕ-noyd-ĕk-tō-mē): excision of the adenoids -ectomy: excision, removal laryng/o larynx (voice box) laryng/o/scope (lăr-ĭn-gō-skōp): instrument for examining the larynx -scope: instrument for examining nas/o rhin/o nose nas/al (NĀ-zl): pertaining to the nose -al: pertaining to rhin/o/rrhea (rī-nō-rē-ă): watery discharge from the nose -rrhea: discharge, flow Allergies and a common cold commonly cause rhinorrhea. It may also be caused by flow of cerebrospinal fluid from the nose after an injury to the head. pharyng/o pharynx (throat) pharyng/itis (făr-ĭn-jī-tĭs): inflammation of the pharynx, usually due to infection -itis: inflammation tonsill/o tonsils peri/tonsill/ar (pĕr-ĭ-tŏn-sĭ-lăr): pertaining to area surrounding the tonsils peri-: around -ar: pertaining to trache/o trachea (windpipe) trache/o/stomy (trā-kē-ŏs-tō-mē): creation of an opening into the trachea -stomy: forming an opening (mouth) Tracheostomy is performed to provide and secure an open airway. LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT alveol/o alveolus (plural, alveoli) alveol/ar (ăl-vē-ō-lăr): pertaining to alveoli -ar: pertaining to
Medical Specialty 4 bronchi/o bronch/o bronchus (plural, bronchi) bronchi/ectasis (brŏng-kē-ĕk-tă-sĭs): dilation of a bronchus or bronchi -ectasis: dilation, expansion Bronchiectasis can be caused by damaging effects of a long-standing infection. bronch/o/scope (BRŎNG-kō-skōp): curved, flexible tube with a light for visual examination of the bronchi -scope: instrument for examining A bronchoscope is used to examine the bronchi, secure a specimen for biopsy or culture, or aspirate secretions or a foreign body from the respiratory tract. bronchiol/o bronchiole bronchiol/itis (brŏng-kē-ō-lī-tĭs): inflammation of the bronchioles -itis: inflammation pleur/o pleura pleur/itic (ploo-rĭt-ĭk): pertaining to pleurisy -itic: pertaining to pneum/o pneumon/o air; lung pneum/ectomy (nū-mĕk-tō-mē): excision of all or part of a lung -ectomy: excision, removal pneumon/ia (nū-mō-nē-ă): acute inflammation and infection of alveoli, which fill with pus or products of the inflammatory reaction -ia: condition Pneumonia is most commonly caused by inhaled pneumonococci and less commonly by staphylococci, fungi, or viruses. pulmon/o lung pulmon/o/logist (pŭl-mŏ-nŏl-ŏ-jĭst): physician who specializes in treating pathological conditions of the lungs -logist: specialist in study of thorac/o chest thorac/o/pathy (thō-răk-ŏp-ă-thē): disease of the thorax or the organs it contains -pathy: disease SUFFIXES -algia -dynia pain pleur/algia (ploo-răl-jē-ă): pain in the pleura pleur: pleura thorac/o/dynia (thō-răk-ō-dĭn-ē-ă): pain in the chest thorac: chest (continued)
5 RESPIRATORY SYSTEM -ectasis -osis dilation, expansion abnormal condition; increase (used primarily with blood cells) atel/ectasis (ăt-ĕ-lĕk-tă-sĭs): abnormal condition characterized by collapse of alveoli atel: incomplete; imperfect Atelectasis is characterized by collapse of alveoli, preventing respiratory exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen in a part of the lungs. cyan/osis (sī-ă-nō-sĭs): bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes cyan: blue Cyanosis is caused by deficiency of oxygen in the blood. -osmia smell an/osmia (ăn-ŏz-mē-ă): loss or impairment of the sense of smell, which usually occurs as a temporary condition an-: without, not -oxia oxygen hyp/oxia (hī-pŏks-ē-ă): abnormally low level of oxygen at the cellular level hyp-: under, below, deficient Because tissues have a decreased amount of oxygen, cyanosis can result. -phagia swallowing, eating aer/o/phagia (ĕr-ō-fă-jē-ă): swallowing air aer/o: air -pnea breathing a/pnea (ăp-nē-ă): temporary cessation of breathing a-: without, not Apnea may be a serious symptom, especially in patients with other potentially life-threatening conditions. Some types of apnea include newborn, cardiac, and sleep. -spasm involuntary contraction, twitching pharyng/o/spasm (făr-ĭn-gō-spăzm): spasm of muscles in the pharynx pharyng/o: pharynx (throat) -thorax chest py/o/thorax (pī-ō-thō-răks): accumulation of pus in the thorax py/o: pus