Blood and the respiratory system

‘Don’t hold your breath’ is an expression you’ve probablyheard many times, but may not have thought too much about. In this free course, Blood and the respiratory system, you’ll study why respiration is so important for life, including how air entersand leaves the lungs, how oxygen is transported in the blood, the many dynamicfactors that control breathing, and some diseases that affect respiration.

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 Respiratory structures and ventilation
• 1 Respiratory structures and ventilation
• 1.1 Structure of the respiratory system
• 1.1.1 Upper respiratory tract
• 1.1.2 Lower respiratory tract
• 1.1.3 Respiratory zone
• 1.2 Muscles of ventilation
• 1.3 Mechanics of inhalation and expiration
• 1.4 Non-respiratory functions
• 2 Factors affecting pulmonary ventilation
• 2 Factors affecting pulmonary ventilation
• 2.1 Atmospheric pressure
• 2.2 Partial pressure
• 2.3 Decompression sickness
• 2.4 Surface tension
• 2.5 Compliance and airway resistance
• 3 Lung function
• 3 Lung function
• 3.1 Spirometry
• 3.2 Lung function impairment
• 4 Gas exchange
• 4 Gas exchange
• 4.1 O2 and CO2 transport in the blood
• 4.2 Haemoglobin
• 4.2.1 Influencing the curve
• 4.3 Bicarbonate
• 5 Inherited disorders of haemoglobin
• 5 Inherited disorders of haemoglobin
• 5.1 Sickle cell anaemia
• 5.2 Thalassaemia
• 6 Control of respiration
• 6 Control of respiration
• 6.1 Central chemoreceptors
• 6.2 Peripheral chemoreceptors
• 6.3 Additional neuronal control
• 6.4 Sleep apnoea
• Conclusion
• Glossary
• References
• Further reading
• Acknowledgements