The earthworm uses its moist outer skin as a respiratory organ. Oxygen diffuses across the body surface and enters blood in the dense capillary mesh that lies just below the skin.

Earthworms do not have lungs. They breathe through their skin. Oxygen and carbon dioxide pass through the earthworm’s skin by diffusion. Body fluid and mucous is released to keep its skin moist.

Earthworms do not have lungs; instead, they breathe through their skin. Their skin needs to stay moist to allow the passage of dissolved oxygen into their bloodstream. Earthworm skin is coated with mucus, and they need to live in a humid, moist environment.

Complete answer: Earthworms lack specialized breathing organs, so the respiratory exchange occurs through moist body surface into their bloodstream.

The respiratory system is the network of organs and tissues that help you breathe. It includes your airways, lungs and blood vessels. The muscles that power your lungs are also part of the respiratory system. These parts work together to move oxygen throughout the body and clean out waste gases like carbon dioxide.

The respiratory system starts at the nose and mouth and continues through the airways and the lungs. Air enters the respiratory system through the nose and mouth and passes down the throat (pharynx) and through the voice box, or larynx.

These are the parts:

• Nose.
• Mouth.
• Throat (pharynx)
• Voice box (larynx)
• Windpipe (trachea)
• Large airways (bronchi)
• Small airways (bronchioles)
• Lungs.

The respiratory system does two very important things: it brings oxygen into our bodies, which we need for our cells to live and function properly; and it helps us get rid of carbon dioxide, which is a waste product of cellular function.

A spirometry test measures how healthy your lungs are and can be used to help diagnose and monitor lung conditions. During the test, you will breathe out as much air as you can, as hard as you can, into a device called a spirometer.

Respiratory failure is a serious condition that develops when the lungs can’t get enough oxygen into the blood. Buildup of carbon dioxide can also damage the tissues and organs and further impair oxygenation of blood and, as a result, slow oxygen delivery to the tissues.

There often isn’t any cure for chronic respiratory failure, but symptoms can be managed with treatment. If you have a long-term lung disease, such as COPD or emphysema, you may need continuous help with your breathing.

What are the symptoms of acute respiratory failure?

• restlessness.
• anxiety.
• sleepiness.
• loss of consciousness.
• rapid and shallow breathing.
• racing heart.
• irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias)
• profuse sweating.

Most people who survive ARDS go on to recover their normal or close to normal lung function within six months to a year. Others may not do as well, particularly if their illness was caused by severe lung damage or their treatment entailed long-term use of a ventilator.

Symptoms of low blood oxygen levels

• shortness of breath.
• headache.
• restlessness.
• dizziness.
• rapid breathing.
• chest pain.
• confusion.
• high blood pressure.

Dizziness, lightheadedness and/or fainting spells: Feeling dizzy or lightheaded and/or fainting is a common indication that your body is not getting the oxygen it needs. A floating feeling or feeling the frequent need to yawn may also occur.

A pulse oximeter measures how much light is absorbed by your blood. This tells us how much oxygen your blood contains. The pulse oximeter shines 2 lights through your fingertip or earlobe: one red light and one infrared light.

An inefficient heart has a lower cardiac output, a lower amount of blood being sent out of the heart to the rest of the body with each beat. This leads to the feeling of shortness of breath. Adding supplemental oxygen to a patient with normal oxygen saturations will generally not improve their shortness of breath.