Respiratory system. Structure, functions

The respiratory system, sysrema respiratorium , ensures gas exchange in the body, necessary for the maintenance of life.

Gas exchange occurs between atmospheric air and blood in the lungs , capable of diffusing gases through a thin wall of alveoli of the lung, alveoli pulmonis. Diffusion of gases takes place in two directions - from the alveoli to the capillaries and from the capillaries to the alveoli. During this process, blood through the lungs receives oxygen from the atmosphere and gives off carbon dioxide, formed as a result of tissue metabolism.

Thus, the respiratory system functions as a support system and a system of isolation, which is a necessary condition for maintaining the constancy of the internal environment of the body.

Another important function of the breathing apparatus is voice formation, for which there is a voice apparatus, glottis , whose main organ is the larynx , where, with vibration of the vocal cords, a sound is produced, modeled by the resonating organs (upper respiratory tract, paranasal sinuses and oral cavity).

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