# Respiratory System --- The **respiratory system** is an [[organ system]] that has to do with taking [[oxygen]] from the air around us and bringing it into the body where it can be used, as well as expelling our metabolic waste product [[carbon dioxide]] into the air. The respiratory system is also responsible for the sense of [[nose|scent]] and communication as it produces our voice, as well as keeping our sinuses juiced up. Oxygen is the element of life without which we will die the soonest. This makes the respiratory system super important. Take a breath. Appreciate your lungs. In nursing a solid [[respiratory assessment]] is essentially ongoing. ## Anatomy We can divide the structures of the respiratory system into the upper and lower [[respiratory tracts]], which are made up of the structures of the [[nose]], [[pharynx]] and [[lungs]]. The accessory structures are things like the [[diaphragm]] that help the physical actions of ventilation. The main purpose of these structures are to physically move the lungs. ![[respiratory system.png]] ## Physiology The respiratory system is the driver for three main processes, **ventilation**, **respiration** (or **diffusion**), and **perfusion**. - [[Pulmonary ventilation]], or what we usually call "breathing". Taking in air from outside our bodies and bringing it into our lungs by manipulating the pressure gradient between our lungs and the outside air. - **Respiration** is the general term for the whole process of taking in air, taking oxygen into our blood, transporting it to all our cells, exchanging that oxygen for carbon dioxide, and then brining *that* back to the lungs to be expelled. All theses processes are happening continuously and simultaneously. - [[Alveolar gas exchange]] (also called **external respiration**) or the exchange of oxygen from the air for carbon dioxide carried in the blood. - Oxygenation is the act of getting the oxygen into the bloodstream. - **Gas transport** or carrying respiratory gasses between the lungs and the rest of the body, and back. - [[Tissue gas exchange]], (also called **internal respiration** or **systemic gas exchange**) or the reverse of alveolar gas exchange, where oxygen moves into the tissues of the body and the blood picks up carbon dioxide. - [[oxygen saturation|Perfusion]] is the process of getting the oxygen that just got all breathed in into the cells of the body's tissues so it can be used. ![[respiration.png]] ## Problems With the Respiratory System [[mechanical ventilation]] ### Restrictive & Obstructive Respiratory Diseases There are two broad categories that respiratory disease can be in: **restrictive** and **obstructive**. Respiratory diseases are diagnosed and classified through the use of [[pulmonary function tests]]. - **Restrictive respiratory diseases** prevent the lungs from filling *up* with air. In other words it *restricts* the lungs from fully opening, and broadly effects [[pulmonary ventilation|inhalation]]. This can be due to a loss of elasticity of the lungs, or an ineffective accessory muscles, or the like: - Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - Sarcoidosis - [[obesity]] - Neuromuscular disease - **Obstructive respiratory diseases** prevent the lungs from properly emptying, typically due to a tightening or blockage of the respiratory pattern. Although this is typically accompanied by a difficulty getting air into the lungs as well, it's still considered a problem with [[pulmonary ventilation|exhalation]], where you are not able to clear "dead air" or CO2. - [[COPD|Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease]] (COPD) - Emphysema - Chronic bronchitis - [[Asthma]] - [[Cystic Fibrosis]] ___