- "The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants."
The study of the structure and function of the lungs and airways.
Anatomy of the Respiratory System: Study of the structure of the respiratory system and its components like the nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs and bronchioles.
Physiology of Respiration: Study of how air is drawn into the lungs, processed and released from the body by examining the respiratory cycle, lung volumes, gas exchange, and control of breathing by the respiratory center.
Respiratory Mechanics: Study of how the respiratory system functions such as muscle movements involved in breathing, the interaction of the lungs and the chest wall, and mechanics of ventilation.
Respiratory System Development: Study of the embryological process that leads to a functional respiratory system and how it continues to develop through childhood, adolescence and eventually adulthood.
Respiratory Diseases: Study of the pathophysiology of respiratory diseases like asthma, COPD, pneumonia, bronchitis etc. as well as their diagnosis, treatment and management.
Respiratory System Assessment: Study of the principles and techniques involved in assessing the respiratory system including chest examination, pulmonary function tests, and blood gas analysis.
Respiratory System Pharmacology: Study of the drugs used to treat respiratory diseases, their common side effects, and their impact on the respiratory system.
Environmental Respiratory Hazards: Study of the impact of environmental factors like pollution, allergens, and occupational hazards on the respiratory system and how to minimize their effects.
Respiratory System Disorders: Study of disorders that can affect the respiratory system as a whole, including sleep apnea, respiratory failure, and respiratory distress syndrome.
Respiratory System Therapies: Study of the therapeutic interventions used to manage respiratory tract disorders such as oxygen therapy, airway clearance techniques and breathing exercises.
Respiratory System Anatomy: This refers to the physical structure and organization of the respiratory system, including the nasal passages, trachea, lungs, and other associated structures.
Pulmonary Physiology: This involves the study of how the lungs function, including topics such as gas exchange, ventilation, and pulmonary circulation.
Cell Biology of the Respiratory System: This area of anatomy and physiology focuses on the individual cells that make up the respiratory system, including their structure and function.
Developmental Anatomy of the Respiratory System: This covers the way in which the respiratory system develops in utero and through early childhood.
Clinical Anatomy and Physiology: This covers the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory system disorders, including topics such as pulmonary function testing, bronchoscopy, and lung cancer treatments.
Respiratory System Biochemistry: This covers the molecular aspects of respiratory system function, including the production and regulation of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Comparative Anatomy of the Respiratory System: This focuses on the similarities and differences between the respiratory systems of different animals.
Respiratory System Immunology: This deals with the immune response of the respiratory system, including topics such as asthma and other respiratory system infections.
Respiratory System Pathology: This area focuses on the study of respiratory system diseases, including obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and other pulmonary disorders.
Respiratory System Pharmacology: This involves the study of how drugs interact with the respiratory system, including the use of medications to treat respiratory illnesses.
- "The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies greatly, depending on the size of the organism, the environment in which it lives, and its evolutionary history."
- "In land animals, the respiratory surface is internalized as linings of the lungs."
- "Gas exchange in the lungs occurs in millions of small air sacs; in mammals and reptiles these are called alveoli."
- "In birds they are known as atria."
- "These microscopic air sacs have a very rich blood supply, thus bringing the air into close contact with the blood."
- "These air sacs communicate with the external environment via a system of airways, or hollow tubes, of which the largest is the trachea."
- "The trachea branches in the middle of the chest into the two main bronchi."
- "These enter the lungs where they branch into progressively narrower secondary and tertiary bronchi that branch into numerous smaller tubes, the bronchioles."
- "In birds, the bronchioles are termed parabronchi."
- "Air has to be pumped from the environment into the alveoli or atria by the process of breathing which involves the muscles of respiration."
- "In most fish, and a number of other aquatic animals, the respiratory system consists of gills, which are either partially or completely external organs, bathed in the watery environment."
- "Gas exchange takes place in the gills which consist of thin or very flat filaments and lamellae which expose a very large surface area of highly vascularized tissue to the water."
- "Insects have respiratory systems with very simple anatomical features, and in amphibians even the skin plays a vital role in gas exchange."
- "The respiratory system in plants includes anatomical features such as stomata, that are found in various parts of the plant."