Trachea

How it is used

Patients say windpipe. It is lined with ciliated epithelium that moves mucus upward. During a chest examination, clinicians check that the trachea is central (in the midline). The adjective is tracheal, as in tracheal tube.

Example sentences

1. The trachea divides into the two main bronchi at about the level of the sternal angle.

2. The trachea is central, and breath sounds are equal on both sides.

Common collocations

• tracheal rings
• tracheal tube
• deviated trachea
• bifurcation of the trachea

Related terms

• lungOne of the two spongy organs in the chest where oxygen passes from the air into the blood and carbon dioxide leaves it. The right lung has three lobes and the left lung has two.
• esophagusThe muscular tube that carries food and liquid from the throat (pharynx) to the stomach. It runs behind the trachea and passes through the diaphragm.
• respirationThe process of taking in oxygen and getting rid of carbon dioxide. It covers breathing (ventilation), gas exchange in the lungs and tissues, and the use of oxygen inside cells (cellular respiration).
• cartilageA firm but flexible connective tissue with no blood vessels. It covers the ends of bones in joints, gives shape to the nose and ears, and connects the ribs to the sternum.
• alveolusOne of the millions of tiny air sacs at the ends of the airways in the lungs. Their thin walls are surrounded by capillaries, and this is where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged.

More terms: Heart, Circulation and Breathing

• heart
• artery
• vein
• capillary
• blood pressure
• ventricle
• atrium
• diaphragm
• red blood cell
• cardiac cycle
• gas exchange
• lymph node