Membranes (Nursing)

00:00 We will conclude this lecture by discussing the membranes of the body. Membranes are flat sheets of pliable tissue that cover or line a part of the body. All membranes are made up of 2 layers, an epithelial layer and a connective tissue layer. There are 2 types of membranes found in the body. First, you have epithelial membranes which can be further subdivided into mucous membranes, serous membranes, and cutaneous membranes. The 2nd type of membrane found in the body is synovial membranes. Of the epithelial membranes, we have the mucous membranes which are found in parts of the body that open up to the exterior, for example, the inside of the mouth or the digestive tract. Often in this area you will find glandular epithelia on top of a connective tissue. The 2nd type of epithelial membrane is serous membranes.

01:05 Serous membranes are going to line parts of the body or cavities of the body that do not open directly to the outside. So for example, the lungs are housed in the pleural cavity and the pleural cavity is lined with a serous membrane that is going to secrete serous fluid which helps with reduction of friction. The 3rd type of epithelial membrane is the skin or the cutaneous membrane. Just like the other ones, it consists of an epithelial layer known as the epidermis and just deep to that a dermal layer known as the dermis which contains dense irregular and dense regular connective tissue. Finally, we have the synovial membrane. The synovial membrane is made up of epithelial layer of synoviocytes as well as a connective tissue layer.