Quick refreshers on key topics

Melanie Bailey , RVN , Cert AVN ( Anaesthesia )

Willows Veterinary Referral Centre , Solihull

Melanie qualified in 2006 and has worked in a variety of first opinion and referral hospitals . In January 2024 she joined the nursing team at Willows Veterinary Referral Centre . Her special interests are anaesthesia , pain management , and emergency and critical care . She is currently studying a masters in advanced veterinary nursing at Harper Adams . Melanie is married to an arable farmer ; they live on a farm in Warwickshire and have two young sons . According to her husband they have far too many animals , whereas she believes there is always room for one more !

Introduction

Respiration is referred to in terms of external and internal respiration . External respiration is the gaseous exchange between the air and the blood , which occurs within the lungs . Internal respiration is the exchange of gases between the blood and the tissues , which happens all over the body [ 1 ] .

Veterinary textbooks generally refer to the process of external respiration – the transport of oxygen ( O 2

) into an animal ' s lungs and transport of carbon dioxide ( CO 2

) out of the animal ' s lungs .

Frontal sinus Nasal cavity

Turbinates

Hard palate

Nasopharynx Pharynx

Anatomy of the respiratory system

The respiratory system consists of the nose , pharynx , larynx , trachea , bronchi , bronchioles and alveoli . The part of the system spanning from the nose to the larynx is referred to as the upper respiratory tract ( Figure 1 ) and the part from the trachea to the alveoli is referred to as the lower respiratory tract ( Figure 2 ).

Soft palate Tongue

Oropharynx Epiglottis

Larynx Trachea

Oesophagus

Figure 1 . The upper respiratory tract . Adapted from Colville [ 1 ] .

54 Veterinary Nursing Journal