Respiratory System Alveoli
Respiratory – One of those vital signs that the doctor or nurse would check instantly to see if something is 
wrong with your life signs. The fact is humans require oxygen to function normally and the body is structured in a way that it takes oxygen and other chemicals to create energy in which it converts to movements and electrical impulses. There are basically five(5) main functions of the respiratory system which are filtration, warming, humidify, air distribution, and gas exchange. The main unit that makes it all happen at the smallest of levels is the Alveoli. The Alveoli is part the main function unit of the lungs and respiratory system where the interchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place. There are literally millions of these microscopic very thin walled sacs in the lungs. Diffusion is what causes the gases to be exchanged in the alveoli and capillaries cover the sac like structures in the lung. The process of gas exchange is not entirely accurate between the blood stream and lungs only a percentage of gases are exchanged for every breath we take.
The upper respiratory system is comprised of the nose, larynx, and pharynx, and the lower respiratory system is treachea, bronchi, and finally the lungs. A common medical term that you would see is URI which stands for upper Respiratory Infection, the common cold in other words. A more sever form of the common cold once fluid has accumulated in the lungs is called pneumonia. The body fights and expels the fluid in the lungs with cilia which moves the mucus along the lining of the trachea. An expectorant would aid the body in riding itself of the fluid.
The nose has a lining which separates the right and left nasal cavities called the septum. Once the air flows into the nose the structures which assist in humidifying the air that we breath is the lacrimal sacs and conchae. The lacrimal sacs or tear ducts are used when someone is crying and the person’s nose gets runny. The conchae are structures that are inside the nasal cavities that allow air to be warmed and humidified. Then the air moves on to the pharynx another word for the throat. Pass the the throat is the voice box or larynx which also has cartilage known as the adams apple in males. Females also have an adams apple but it’s not as pronounced as in males. The interior portion of the larynx houses the vocal cord and as air passes the cord it strums them making sounds much like a whistle or trumpet using the lips of the player.
