Anatomy and Physiology of the Lungs

The chest contains two lungs, one lung on the right side of the chest, the other on the left side of the chest. Each lung is made up of sections called lobes. The lung is soft and protected by the ribcage. The purposes of the lungs are to bring oxygen (abbreviated O2), into the body and to remove carbon dioxide (abbreviated CO2). Oxygen is a gas that provides us energy while carbon dioxide is a waste product or "exhaust" of the body. How the Lungs Work The lungs expand upon inhalation, or inspiration, and fill with air. They then return to their resting volume and push air out upon exhalation, or expiration. These two movements make up the process of breathing, or respiration. The respiratory system contains several structures. When you breathe, the lungs facilitate this process: 1. Air comes in through the mouth and/or nose, and travels down through the trachea, or "windpipe." This air travels down the trachea into two bronchi, one leading to each lung. The bronchi then subdivide into smaller tubes called bronchioles. The air finally fills the alveoli, which are the small air sacs at the ends of the bronchioles. 2. In the alveoli, the lungs facilitate the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from the blood. Adult lungs have hundreds of alveoli, which increase the lungs' surface area and speed this process. Oxygen travels across the membranes of the alveoli and into the blood in the tiny capillaries surrounding them. 3. Oxygen molecules bind to hemoglobin in the blood and are carried throughout the body. This oxygenated blood can then be pumped to the body by the heart. 4. The blood also carries the waste product carbon dioxide back to the lungs, where it is transferred into the alveoli in the lungs to be expelled through exhalation.