Human Physiology Focusing on Heart and Lungs Term Paper

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Both the respiratory and cardiovascular systems are essential for the maintenance of life in the human body. The respiratory system is primarily responsible for gas exchange, as oxygen is taken in via the mouth or nose, eventually being expelled as carbon dioxide. The circulatory, or cardiovascular, system is responsible for circulating blood through the body. The respiratory and cardiovascular systems work together by delivering oxygen and essential nutrients to all the cells of the body.

The basic process of the respiratory system from initial respiration through gas exchange begins when a person takes a breath. Air enters through the mouth or nose, travels down the throat area’s pharynx, larynx, and trachea, and from there to the bronchial tubes (bronchi). The trachea itself splits to form the upper region of the left and right bronchial tubes (“Gas Exchange”). Each of the two primary bronchial tubes is then further divided into secondary, tertiary, and even smaller bronchi called bronchioles, each of which leads to the lungs and the alveoli.

The alveoli are the heart and soul of the respiratory system because this is where gas exchange primarily takes place. Located within the lungs, these “tiny air sacs” that inflate during the intake of oxygen (“Gas Exchange”).

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Naturally, the alveoli deflate during exhalation. All the alveoli are surrounded by capillaries, the site of intersection between the respiratory and circulatory systems. The capillaries and the alveoli share a wall or membrane, and this is where the alveoli transmit the inhaled oxygen to the bloodstream and where the they receive the unneeded carbon dioxide gas back so that it can be exhaled. The respiratory system can be described by its three main functions: ventilation (the movement of air), diffusion (the gas exchange), and perfusion (at which point the cardiovascular system takes over). The cardiovascular system is what carries the oxygen acquired during gas exchange to all the cells of the body.

The cardiovascular system centers on its primary organ, the heart. Essentially a pumping organ, the heart is what sends blood throughout the system of blood vessels to all the organs, tissues, and cells of the body. Blood enters the heart first through the right atrium and left atrium. The left atrium receives the oxygenated blood newly received from the lungs, carried from the alveoli through the pulmonary veins. This blood can then be carried through the arteries, veins, and capillaries throughout….....

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