Atemwegslaufbahn

Atemwegslaufbahn refers to the anatomical pathway that air travels through during respiration. This journey begins with inhalation, where air enters the body through the nostrils or mouth. From there, it passes through the pharynx, a common passageway for both air and food, and then into the larynx, also known as the voice box. The larynx contains the vocal cords and acts as a protective mechanism, preventing food from entering the trachea.

The air then descends into the trachea, or windpipe, a tube supported by C-shaped cartilaginous rings that keep it open. The trachea branches into two primary bronchi, one leading to each lung. Within the lungs, these bronchi further subdivide into smaller and smaller tubes called bronchioles. This intricate branching network resembles an inverted tree, often referred to as the bronchial tree.

The smallest bronchioles terminate in tiny air sacs called alveoli. It is within the alveoli that the crucial exchange of gases takes place. Oxygen from the inhaled air diffuses across the thin alveolar walls into the bloodstream, while carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism, diffuses from the blood into the alveoli to be exhaled. The entire system, from the initial entry point to the alveoli, constitutes the respiratory tract or Atemwegslaufbahn.