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Blood and the respiratory system

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Blood and the respiratory system
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Course description

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‘Don’t hold your breath’ is an expression you’ve probably heard many times, but may not have thought too much about. In this free course, Blood and the respiratory system, you’ll study why respiration is so important for life, including how air enters and leaves the lungs, how oxygen is transported in the blood, the many dynamic factors that control breathing, and some diseases that affect respiration.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

  • describe and illustrate the main anatomical structures of the respiratory system and the mechanics of inspiration and expiration
  • discuss the factors that affect pulmonary ventilation
  • outline the mechanisms of O2 and CO2 transport in the blood
  • describe diseases resulting from mutations in haemoglobin
  • demonstrate an understanding of the control of the respiration rate.

First Published: 10/01/2019

Updated: 01/05/2020

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