1. Barbara A. Gylys ∙ Mary Ellen Wedding
Lecture Notes 7
Respiratory System
Classroom Activity to Accompany Medical Terminology Systems, Sixth Edition
Barbara A. Gylys ∙ Mary Ellen Wedding

2. Structure Upper respiratory tract Lower respiratory tract 7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Structure
Upper respiratory tract
Nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea
Lower respiratory tract
Bronchi, bronchioles, lungs, alveoli, breathing muscles 2

3. 7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Function
Respiration
External and Internal
Other functions, with help of cardiovascular system
Provides oxygen to body cells
Eliminates the waste product carbon dioxide CO2 3

4. Structure and Function Exercise7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Structure and Function Exercise
Q: Name the structures of the upper respiratory tract (URT)?
A: Nose, pharynx, larynx, and trachea.
Q: What are the structures of the lower respiratory tract ?
A: Bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, and the lungs.
Q: What do abbreviations O2 and CO2 mean?
A: O2 means oxygen; CO2 means carbon dioxide.
Q: What is the main function of the respiratory system?
A: Provides O2 and removes CO2 from body cells.
Q: What other body system helps the respiratory system transport O2 and remove CO2 from body cells?
A: CV system helps transport O2 and remove CO2 from body cells. 4

5. Sleep Apnea Signs and Symptoms7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Sleep Apnea
Signs and Symptoms
Brief or prolonged absence of spontaneous respirations. 5

6. Sleep Apnea Signs and Symptoms (continued) 7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Sleep Apnea
Signs and Symptoms (continued)
In obstructive sleep apnea, patients stop breathing multiple times each night. Causes include airway obstruction that may be caused by soft palate, neck tissue, or tonsil enlargement.
In premature infants, the immature CNS fails to maintain a consistent respiratory rate, and there are long pauses between regular breathing. 6

7. Sleep Apnea Signs and Symptoms (continued)7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Sleep Apnea
Signs and Symptoms (continued)
Apnea is followed by a gasping breath that often awakens the person.
Occurs most often in middle-aged, obese men who snore excessively. 7

8. Sleep Apnea Treatment Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A).7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Sleep Apnea
Treatment
Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A).
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPP).
CPAP apparatus to keep airway open in adults; home apnea monitor for infants. 8

9. Clinically Related Exercise7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Clinically Related Exercise
Q: Mrs. J is diagnosed with sleep apnea and asks the nurse to explain this disorder.
A: The nurse explains it’s a temporary loss of breathing resulting in brief or prolonged absence of spontaneous respiration.
Q: Patient X presents for an excision of tonsils and adenoids as a treatment of sleep apnea. The abbreviation for the surgical procedure to remove tonsils and adenoids is__________.
A: T&A
Q: Mary is prescribed a CPAP machine for sleep apnea. The respiratory therapist explains that this machine will help keep her airway open at night so she can breathe normally. The medical term to breathe normal is ___________.
A: eupnea
Q: Mr. M presents with complaints of excessive snoring at night that awakens him and also results in him gasping for breath. The physician explains that he has a common condition that occurs in middle-aged, obese men in which temporary cessation of breathing occurs. This condition is known as sleep (apnea, dyspnea, eupnea).
A: apnea 9

10. Lung Cancer Signs and Symptoms 7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Lung Cancer
Signs and Symptoms
Early-stage lung cancer usually produces no symptoms and is difficult to detect.
When symptoms appear, they may include smoker’s cough, wheezing, chest pain, dyspnea, and hemoptysis.
Risk factors include chemical exposure or history of smoking or exposure to second- hand smoke. 10

11. 7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Lung Cancer
Treatment
Combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy depending on whether the malignancy is localized or metastasized.
Chest x-ray, sputum cytology test, and bronchoscopy with tissue biopsy are required for definitive diagnosis. 11

12. Clinically Related Exercise7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Clinically Related Exercise
Q: Mr O works for a collision shop and sprays paint on cars. He is also a 2 pack/day smoker for 15 years. He is concerned about developing lung cancer and asks the nurse if it is preventable.
A: She explains that lung cancer is preventable if one avoids smoking and inhaling toxic substances.
Q: A 1 pack/day smoker for the past 8 years is diagnosed with lung cancer. She asks the doctor if her cancer will be cured if she stops smoking.
A: The doctor explains if smokers stop smoking during early precancerous cellular changes, damaged bronchial lining tissues often return to normal.
Q: The patient presents for a visual examination of his interior bronchi with biopsy to confirm a diagnosis of lung cancer. The physician documents the visual examination of the bronchi as a ____________________.
A: bronchoscopy
Q: The patient is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and asks why it was not detected last year during her annual physical exam.
A: The nurse explains that early-stage lung cancer usually produces no symptoms and is difficult to detect. When symptoms appear, cancer often has metastasized to tissues such as the brain, liver, and bone. 12

13. Upper Airway Obstruction7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Upper Airway Obstruction
Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms vary depending on the cause of obstruction, but some symptoms are common to all types of obstructions.
Cyanosis of the skin.
Difficulty breathing, choking, confusion, panic, unconsciousness. 13

14. Upper Airway Obstruction7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Upper Airway Obstruction
Treatment
Depends on the cause of the blockage.
Objects lodged in the airway may be removed with a laryngoscope or bronchoscope.
A tube may be inserted into the airway (endotracheal tube or nasotracheal tube).
Opening is made directly into the airway (tracheostomy) if needed.
Instructor: You may add other disorders, signs, symptoms, and treatments to this presentation and insert illustrations from the Image Bank. 14

15. Clinically Related Exercise7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Clinically Related Exercise
Q: Doctor X is concerned that Mrs. T has an airway blockage. The patient asks if there a test to confirm a blockage.
A: The doctor states tests may include bronchoscopy, laryngoscopy, and radiography.
Q: John’s x-ray shows a small foreign object lodged in his larynx. The physician removes the object with an instrument called a ____________________.
A: laryngoscope
Q: The patient presents for an opening to be made into the trachea. This surgical procedure is documented in the medical record as a ________________.
A: tracheostomy
Q: The anesthesiologist inserts a tube directly into the patient’s trachea so the patient will be able to breathe while under general anesthesia. This tube is known as an ___________________ _________________.
A: endotracheal tube 15

16. Medical Vocabulary acidosis aerophagia anosmia anoxia apnea asphyxia7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Medical Vocabulary
acidosis
aerophagia
anosmia
anoxia
apnea
asphyxia
atelectasis
bradypnea
To customize or add other slides to your presentation, numerous images are available from the Image Bank. 16

17. Medical Vocabulary coryza cyanosis dysphonia dyspnea emphysema7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Medical Vocabulary
(continued)
coryza
cyanosis
dysphonia
dyspnea
emphysema
epistaxis
eupnea
hypercapnia

18. Medical Vocabulary influenza mucoid pertussis pleurisy pneumonia7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Medical Vocabulary
(continued)
influenza
mucoid
pertussis
pleurisy
pneumonia
pyothorax
respiration 18

19. Medical Vocabulary (continued) resuscitation rhinoplasty rhinorrhea7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Medical Vocabulary
(continued)
resuscitation
rhinoplasty
rhinorrhea
rhonchi
stridor
tachypnea
transnasally 19

20. Diagnostic Procedures7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Diagnostic Procedures
Bronchoscopy
Tissue biopsy for cancer detection of lungs
Remove obstruction (tissue or other), or observe directly for pathological changes 20

21. Diagnostic Procedures7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Diagnostic Procedures
(continued)
Thoracentesis
Remove fluid from pleural space for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes 21

22. Diagnostic Procedures7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Diagnostic Procedures
(continued)
Arterial blood gas (ABG)
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) 22

23. Word Building Exercise7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Word Building Exercise
Q: Visual examination of bronchi: __________________.
A: bronchoscopy
Q: Surgical puncture of chest: ______________________.
A: thoracentesis or thoracocentesis
Q: Forming an opening (mouth) in the trachea:___________.
A: tracheostomy
Q: Visual examination of larynx: ____________________.
A: laryngoscopy
Q: Instrument for measuring breathing: _________________.
A: spirometer
Q: Instrument for examining the larynx: _________________.
A: laryngoscope 23

24. Medical and Surgical Procedures7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Medical and Surgical Procedures
Lavage
Irrigation of paranasal sinuses to remove mucopurulent material
Postural drainage
Body is positioned so gravity helps remove secretions from the lung or bronchi. Coughing usually expels secretions from the trachea 24

25. Medical and Surgical Procedures7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Medical and Surgical Procedures
(continued)
Tracheostomy
Upper airway obstruction 25

26. Clinically Related Exercise7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Clinically Related Exercise
Q: Mr. J has a history of smoking 2 packs/day for 30 years. He is diagnosed with throat cancer and presents to the hospital for an excision of the larynx. What is this surgical procedure called?
A: laryngectomy
Q: Mr. M has thick mucous secretions from a prolonged respiratory infection. The nurse adjusts his bed upright to 90 degrees so he can easily cough up mucus. This type of therapeutic drainage is known as postural ______________.
A: drainage
Q: Mrs. S presents to the ED with cyanosis caused by an obstructed airway. The physician incises the trachea to open it below the blockage and restore breathing. An incision into the trachea is known as (tracheocentesis, tracheostenosis, tracheotomy).
A: tracheotomy 26

27. Pharmacology Bronchodilators Corticosteroids 7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Pharmacology
Bronchodilators
Drugs that dilate constricted airways via a metered-dose inhaler (MDI)
Corticosteroids 27

28. Pharmacology Metered-dose inhalers (MDIs)7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Pharmacology
(continued)
Metered-dose inhalers (MDIs)
Nebulized mist treatments (NMTs)
Administer meds directly into lungs via a nebulizer 28

29. Clinically Related Exercise7
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Clinically Related Exercise
Q: To reduce airway inflammation in an asthmatic patient, the doctor prescribes a/an (antibiotic, corticosteroid, expectorant).
A: corticosteroid
Q: Ms. C presents with a chief complaint of shortness of breath upon exertion. Medication is prescribed to expand the bronchial airways . It is known as a/an (bronchodilator, corticosteroid, expectorant).
A: bronchodilator
Q: Upon inhalation, a fine spray delivers medication into the lungs. The device used is known as a/an (bronchoscope, intubator, nebulizer).
A: nebulizer
Q: To reduce sputum thickness and ability to cough it up, the physician prescribes a/an (antibiotic, corticosteroid, expectorant).
A: expectorant 29