Anatomy and Structures
What structure is the main muscle that contracts and descends during inhalation to aid breathing?
Diaphragm
What combining form(s) mean "nose"?
nas/o, rhin/o.
What is the medical term for surgical removal of the tonsils?
Tonsillectomy
What potentially life-threatening disorder is characterized by repeated pauses in breathing during sleep and is commonly treated with CPAP?
Sleep apnea.
What diagnostic test measures lung capacity and the volume of air inhaled and exhaled?
Spirometry (pulmonary function test)
Name the smallest air sacs in the lungs where gas exchange occurs.
Alveoli.
The combining form {pneum/o} or {pneumon/o} refers to what organ or substance?
Lung or air
What is the term for creating an opening (mouth) in the trachea?
Tracheostomy (or tracheotomy is used interchangeably in some contexts)
What is the condition marked by collapse of a lung, causing sudden sharp chest pain and shortness of breath?
Pneumothorax
What procedure withdraws fluid from the pleural space for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes?
Thoracentesis
Which structure branches into two bronchi and serves as the main passageway for air to the bronchi?
Trachea.
What does the suffix {-pnea} mean?
means breathing
What is the medical term for visual examination of the bronchi (use the appropriate combining form and suffix)?
Bronchoscopy
A chronic widening and destruction of airways, often producing foul-smelling sputum and chronic cough, is called what?
Bronchiectasis.
Which procedure provides a direct visual exam of the bronchi and can also obtain tissue for biopsy?
Bronchoscopy (with biopsy)
How many lobes does the right lung have, and how many lobes does the left lung have?
Right lung has three lobes; left lung has two lobes.
Match the combining form {laryng/o} to the structure it names
voice box
What is the term for placement of a tube through the mouth into the trachea to provide a patient with oxygen or anesthesia?
Endotracheal
In obstructive sleep apnea, airflow stops because of blockage in which part of the airway (upper or lower)
Upper airway (obstruction of the upper airway)
Name two classes or delivery methods of medications used to open constricted airways or deliver medications directly into the lungs.
Bronchodilators (e.g., via metered-dose inhaler) and corticosteroids; nebulizer (NMT) delivery is another method
List, in order from upper to lower, the major parts of the respiratory tract a breath of air passes through starting at the nose.
Nose → Pharynx → Larynx → Trachea → Bronchi → Bronchioles → Alveoli.
Define the combining form {phren/o} and give a related anatomical structure named with it.
diaphragm; example: phrenic nerve or phrenic.
Name the surgical excision of one lobe of the lung.
Lobectomy
Describe two risk factors that increase a person’s chance of developing lung cancer.
Smoking history (tobacco), exposure to chemical carcinogens or second-hand smoke; also occupational exposures.
A patient with pneumothorax may require insertion of a tube and establishment of a closed drainage system. What is the name of the procedure to withdraw air from the pleural cavity?
Thoracostomy (chest tube placement / insertion of chest tube to evacuate air).