Upper Airway Anatomy &

Physiology

Wiwi J
Laboratory of Anesthesiology &
Intensive Therapy
FKUB – RS Saiful Anwar

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 Upper Airway
 Anatomy
 Nose
 OralCavity
 Pharynx
 Throat

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 Upper Airway
 Function of the Upper Airway
 Conduct Air
 To prevent foreign materials from entering
the lower airway
 Smell/Speech

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 Nose
 Function
 Heat, Humidify and Filter the incoming gas
 Smell
 Speech

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 Anatomy of the Nose
 Bone and Cartilage
 Partition in the nose is called the nasal septum
 Air enters through the nostrils or nares
 Two nasal passages are called choanae
 Vibrissae filter the incoming gas
 Whiskers

 First1/3 is stratified squamous epithelium (PROTECTION)

 Posterior 2/3 is pseudostratified ciliated columnar
epithelium (MUCUS SECRETION)
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 Anatomy of the Nose
 Mucous secreting glands are found in
the posterior 2/3 of nose
 Bony Protrusions on the lateral wall are
called nasal turbinates or conchae
 Separate incoming gas into turbulent
airstreams – more contact
 Extensive capillary network
 Constrict or dilate to change blood flow
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Nasal Conchae

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 Deviated Septum
 The nasal septum
can be deviated to
the right or left
 More often to the
left

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 Physiology of the Nose
 Nose can filter particles down to 5 m
(microns) in diameter
 Two factors which decrease the
humidification and filtering ability of the
nose is:
 Mouth Breathing
 Placement of an ET (endotracheal) tube

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 Paranasal Sinuses
 Empty air spaces found in the bones of
the skull; Paired
 Frontal
 Ethmoid
 Sphenoid
 Maxillary
 They contain mucous secreting goblet
cells which drain into the nasal cavity

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Nose and Nasal Cavities

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 Anatomy of the Oral Cavity
 Roof of the mouth is formed by the hard
and soft palate
 Hard – Bony portion
 Soft – Fleshy portion
 Uvula is the soft fleshy structure
 Epithelium is stratified squamous
epithelium which is non-ciliated.
 Palatine (faucial) tonsils are located on
each side of the oral cavity.
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 Pharynx - Throat

 Nasopharynx
 Oropharynx
 Laryngopharynx

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 Nasopharynx
 Located posterior to nasal
cavity
 Pseudostratified ciliated
columnar epithelium
 Includes pharyngeal tonsils or
adenoids
 Eustachian Tubes (auditory
tubes)
 Connects the middle ear and
nasopharynx
 Middle ear infection is called
otitis media
 Complication of ET tubes
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 Oropharynx
 Lies behind the
oral cavity
 Lingual tonsils lie
at the root of the
tongue
 Statified
squamous
epithelium
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 Laryngopharynx
 Lies between the base of
the tongue and the
entrance to the esophagus
 Lies posterior to the
epiglottis
 Stratified squamous
epithelium
 aka Hypopharynx

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