Respiratory System for the MCAT: Tutoring Solution - Videos & Lessons

About This Chapter

The Respiratory System chapter of this MCAT Prep Tutoring Solution is a flexible and affordable path to learning about the respiratory system. These simple and fun video lessons are each about five minutes long, and they teach information involving the respiratory system required for the MCAT exam.

How it works:

Begin your review or other MCAT preparation work.
Identify the respiratory system concepts that you're stuck on.
Find fun videos on the topics you need to understand.
Press play, watch and learn!
Complete the quizzes to test your understanding.
As needed, submit a question to one of our instructors for personalized support.

Who's it for?

This chapter of our MCAT prep tutoring solution will benefit any student who is trying to review the respiratory system and earn acceptable scores. This resource can help students including those who:

Struggle with understanding gas transport, autonomic breathing, function of pleural cavities and membranes, or any other respiratory system topic
Have limited time for studying
Want a cost effective way to supplement their MCAT preparation
Prefer learning MCAT topics visually
Find themselves struggling with the respiratory system portion of their review
Cope with ADD or ADHD
Want to get ahead in their MCAT preparation
Don't have access to MCAT review materials

Why it works:

Engaging Tutors: We make reviewing the respiratory system simple and fun.
Cost Efficient: For less than 20% of the cost of a private tutor, you'll have unlimited access 24/7.
Consistent High Quality: Unlike a live MCAT prep tutor, these video lessons are thoroughly reviewed.
Convenient: Imagine a tutor as portable as your laptop, tablet or smartphone. Complete your respiratory system review on the go!
Learn at Your Pace: You can pause and rewatch lessons as often as you'd like, until you master the material.

Learning objectives:

Review the gross anatomy of the airway and lungs.
Learn how the pleural cavities and membranes function.
Find out how ventilation muscles cause inspiration and expiration.
See how the respiratory membrane makes for efficient gas exchange.
Explore pulmonary surfactant function and ventilation.
Learn about diffusion and partial pressure gradients.
Find out how oxygen and carbon dioxide get into and out of blood.
Examine the process of gas transport.
Explore how ventilation is regulated.
Learn about pulmonary function tests.

14 Lessons in Chapter 30: Respiratory System for the MCAT: Tutoring Solution

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1. Gross Anatomy of the Airway and Lungs: Conducting & Respiratory Zones

The respiratory system includes the lungs as well as other organs that help to get oxygen into the blood and carbon dioxide out of the blood. The conducting zone of the respiratory system carries oxygen into the lungs and carbon dioxide out of the lungs. The respiratory zone is where oxygen and carbon dioxide move into and out of the blood.

2. Function of Pleural Cavities and Pleural Membranes

Each lung is contained within a pleural cavity, the space between the outside of the lung and inside of the chest wall. Pleural membranes cover the outside of the lungs and line the inside of the chest wall. The lungs remain expanded when we breathe due to a vacuum effect within the pleural cavity.

3. How Ventilation Muscles Cause Inspiration and Expiration

What is ventilation? It includes both inspiration and expiration, the movement of air into and out of our lungs. In this lesson, learn about how the diaphragm contracts and relaxes and its impact on lung volume.

4. The Respiratory Surface and Gas Exchange Efficiency

The respiratory membrane includes millions of alveoli with a surface area as large as a tennis court. This large respiratory surface area, combined with other factors, makes for efficient gas exchange to meet our metabolic needs.

5. Pulmonary Surfactant Function and Ventilation

Our lungs are lined with a thin layer of water. The water creates surface tension, which makes it difficult for the lungs to expand and allow for gas exchange. Pulmonary surfactant is made by our lungs and decreases the surface tension so we can breathe.

6. Gas Exchange: Diffusion & Partial Pressure Gradients

If you've ever experienced shortness of breath on top of a mountain, this lesson is for you. Oxygen and carbon dioxide move into and out of our blood by diffusion. The rate of diffusion is determined by partial pressure gradients across the respiratory membrane in our lungs. Partial pressure is a function of both concentration and atmospheric pressure.

7. External and Internal Respiration in the Lungs: Definition & Process

This lesson explores the process by which oxygen and carbon dioxide get into and out of the blood located in the lungs and in our metabolizing tissues. The partial pressure gradient for each gas determines both the direction and rate of diffusion across the respiratory membrane.

8. Gas Transport: Oxygen and Hemoglobin

Did you know that almost all of the oxygen transported in our blood is bound to hemoglobin? Hemoglobin is loaded with oxygen in the lungs and unloaded of oxygen in the metabolizing tissues. This lesson will describe how oxygen is transported in our blood.

9. Gas Transport: Cooperative Binding of Oxygen with Hemoglobin

Our cells need oxygen. Most of the oxygen is delivered to our cells bound to hemoglobin. This lesson describes how cooperative binding of hemoglobin maximizes oxygen delivery to our metabolizing tissues.

10. Gas Transport: Effect of Temperature, pH & Metabolism

Hemoglobin carries almost all the oxygen to our metabolizing tissues. This lesson discusses physiological factors that stimulate hemoglobin to unload oxygen in our tissues. For example, temperature, carbon dioxide, pH and metabolism all influence the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen.

11. Carbon Dioxide Transport in the Blood

While carbon dioxide is a metabolic waste product, it plays some important physiological roles as well. This lesson describes how carbon dioxide is transported in our blood, how carbon dioxide is converted into a pH buffer, and how carbon dioxide helps with oxygen transport.

12. Autonomic Breathing: How Ventilation is Regulated

Did you know that our nervous system controls our breathing? This lesson describes the basic elements of the homeostatic system responsible for balancing oxygen supply with metabolic demand.

13. What Are Pulmonary Function Tests?

Pulmonary function tests are used to measure air movement into and out of the lungs. Spirometry is the most common way to measure airflow. This lesson will describe the use of spirometry to measure lung volumes and flow rates as well as how breathing disorders are diagnosed.

14. Cilia in Cells: Definition, Functions & Structure

Cilia have a cool name, but what are they? What do they do? Complete this lesson to find out what your cilia are up to and why you should be impressed with their hard work!

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