Which large airways are categorized as conducting airways?

The conducting airways are the structures in the respiratory system responsible for transporting air to and from the lungs but do not participate directly in gas exchange. The major components of conducting airways include the trachea and the mainstem bronchi, which serve as the initial pathways for air entering the lungs.

The trachea conducts air from the larynx down into the bronchi, while the mainstem bronchi branch off to each lung, continuing to subdivide into smaller bronchi. These structures are essential for directing airflow, humidifying the air, and filtering out particles, ensuring that the air that reaches the lungs is clean and at an appropriate temperature.

Other components such as terminal bronchioles, alveolar ducts, and respiratory bronchioles are involved in the transition to the gas exchange regions of the lungs. Terminal bronchioles mark the end of the conducting zone but do not generally classify as conducting airways since they lead into respiratory bronchioles, where gas exchange begins. Alveolar ducts and respiratory bronchioles primarily facilitate gas exchange, thereby categorizing them as parts of the respiratory zone rather than the conducting zone.

Thus, identifying the trachea and mainstem bronchi as conducting airways is accurate, as they