Throat’s windpipe crossword

The trachea commonly called the windpipe, is a key part of the human respiratory system. It is a hollow tube that links the larynx to the lungs and allows air to move in plus out during breathing. The wall of the trachea contains C-shaped rings of cartilage. Those rings keep the airway open yet let the tube bend a little when pressure changes during each breath. Its main job is to move gases between the lungs and the outside air. Oxygen-rich air enters through the nose or mouth, travels down the trachea but also reaches the alveoli inside the lungs where oxygen passes into the blood. In the opposite direction, the trachea carries air that contains carbon dioxide from the lungs to the outside during exhalation. Apart from moving air, the trachea helps defend the body. Its inner surface holds cells that release a thin layer of mucus. This mucus catches dust, microbes and other particles before they reach delicate lung tissue. Once the particles stick to the mucus, microscopic hairs called cilia sweep the mucus upward toward the throat, where it is swallowed or expelled. Because the trachea lies in front of the spine as well as behind the soft tissues of the neck and chest, it is exposed to disease or injury. Narrowing of the airway (tracheal stenosis) weakening of the cartilage (tracheomalacia) or growth of tumors inside the wall can all lower airflow and cause breathing problems. Doctors often need to act quickly to restore the open passage so the trachea can continue its essential work.