Respiratory Anatomy
Respiratory Process
Respiratory System and Speech Production
Instrumental Respiratory Assessments
Lung Volumes and Capacities
100

This dome-shaped structure acts as the primary muscle of inspiration.

What is the diaphragm?

100

This is the active biological process of drawing air into the lungs. 

What is inspiration?

100

This respiratory process provides the airflow necessary to create speech sounds.  

What is expiration?

100

This common clinical instrument is utilized to measure lung volumes and capacities over time. 

What is a spirometer?

100

This is the volume of air inspired or expired during the breathing cycle.  

What is tidal volume?

200

The trachea, lungs, and bronchial passages make up this tract.

What is the lower respiratory tract?

200

This principle of physics states that volume and pressure are inversely related in a closed container. 

What is Boyle's Law?

200

This pressure generated below the vocal folds is required to initiate and sustain phonation.

What is subglottal pressure?

200

This device measures pressure, such as oral or subglottal pressure, often using a U-tube filled with liquid or a digital pressure transducer.

What is a manometer?

200

This quantity in mL is the average tidal volume for a human adult.

What is around 500 mL?

300

This type of cell secretes mucus along the mucociliary elevator that lines the large airways.

What are goblet cells?

300

This is the specific site where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs between the lungs and the bloodstream.  

What is the alveolar-capillary membrane?

300

During speech breathing, approximately 90% of the respiratory cycle is spent in this phase.

What is expiration?

300

This device uses a specialized face mask to measure the continuous rate of airflow during breathing and speech tasks.

What is a pneumotachograph?

300

These measurements are calculated by combining two or more lung volumes.

What are lung capacities?

400

The respiratory bronchioles open into these passages before terminating in alveolar sacs.

What are the alveolar ducts?

400

The lungs are kept expanded against the inner thoracic wall by this pressure, which is always negative compared to atmospheric pressure.  

What is intrapleural pressure?

400

This term describes the activity of inspiratory muscles that slow the release of air at high lung volumes during speech.  

What is inspiratory checking?

400

This non-invasive assessment tool uses elastic bands placed around the chest and abdomen to measure changes in circumference and estimate respiratory volumes.

What is respiratory inductance plethysmography?

400

This lung capacity is the maximum volume of air that can be expired after a maximum inhalation, or inspired after a maximum expiration.

What is vital capacity?

500

These accessory muscles of respiration can be divided into anterior, medial, and posterior portions, and elevate ribs 1 and 2.  

What are the scalenes? 

500

During quiet exhalation, this passive restoring force brings the lungs and rib cage back to their resting position without muscular effort.  

What is elastic recoil?

500

Speakers typically begin an utterance above this lung volume level because it allows efficient control of airflow and pressure for speech production.  

What is the resting expiratory level (REL)?

500

A physician or SLP might use this flexible, lighted tube inserted through the nasal cavity to visually assess the airway and vocal folds during the respiratory cycle.  

What is an endoscope?

500

This lung capacity can be calculated by adding expiratory reserve volume and residual volume.

What is functional residual capacity?