respiratory system mechanics
What effect did opening the valve have on the left lung? Why does this happen?
It caused the lung to collapse because the pressure in the pleural cavity is less than the intrapulmonary pressure. Air flows from the lungs causing the collapse of the lung.
Which of these two parameters changed more for the patient with emphysema, the FVC, of the FEV?
The FEV decreased significantly more than the FVC for the patient with emphysema.
What effect does the addition of surfactant have on the airflow?
The addition further increased airflow because the surface tension in the alveoli decreased allowing the alveoli to expand more.
Compare the breathing rates during normal breathing, moderate exercise, and heavy exercise.
The breathing rate increased with moderate and heavy exercise. A greater increase in breathing rate was seen with heavy exercise.
What effect on the collapsed lung in the left side of the glass bell jar did you observe when you closed the valve?
The lung did remain collapsed and did not reinflate after the valve was closed.
With moderate aerobic exercise, which changed more for normal breathing, the ERV or the IRV?
The lung value that changed more with moderate exercise was IRV.
What lung valves changed in the spirogram when the patient with emphysema was selected? Why did these values change as they did?
The values that change for the patient with emphysema are ERV, IRV, RV, FVC, FEV1. These changes are due to the loss of elastic recoil.
Describe the effect that the inhaler medicaiton had on the asthmatic patient. Did all the spirogram values return to normal? Why do you think some values did not return all the way to normal?
The values that returned to normal were TV, ERV, FEV1 %. The smooth muscles in the bronchioles didn't return to normal plus mucus still blocks the airway.
What emergency medical condition does opening the left valve simulate?
a pheumothorax
how much of an increase in FEV do you think is required for it to be considered significantly improved by the medication?
a significant improvement would be at least 10-15% improvement.
what additional skeletal muscles are utilized in an ERV activity?
abdominal wall muscles and the internal intercostal muscles contract
How is having an acute asthma attack similar to having emphysema? How is it different?
both are similar because they are obstructive diseases characterized by increased airway resistance. It is more difficult to exhale with emphysema than with asthma.
What do youthink would happen when the valve is opened if the two lungs were in a single large cavity rather than separate cavities?
both would collapse if the lungs weren't separated. breathing would stop and the person would die.
in the last part of this activity, you clicked the reset buttom to draw air out of the intrapleural space and return the lung to its normal resting condition. What emergency prodecure would be used to achieve this result if these were the lungs in a living person?
emergency professionals will insert a chest tube to pull a partial vacuum out of the intrapleural space to return it to a value below atmospheric pressure.
Why does surfactant airflow in this manner?
surfactant serves to decrease the surface tension.
what would be an example of an everyday respiratory event in the ERV button simulates?
the ERV button simulates a forced expiration
explain why the results from the expiriment suggest that there is an obstructive, rather than a restrictive pulmonary problem.
the FEV decreased proportionally as the radius decreased which is characteristic of an obstructive pulmonary problem.
What happened to the FEV as the radius of the airways was decreased?
the FEV decreased proportionally as the radius decreased.
what was the FEV percentage at the initial radius of 5 mm?
the FEV1 percentage at a radius of 5 mm is 73.9%
What lung values changed from those of the normal patient in the spirogram when the patient experiencing an acute asthma attack was selected? why did these values change as they did?
the values that changed for the patient with the acute asthma attack are TV, ERV, IRV, RV, FVC, FEV1, and the FEV1 %. These changes are due to the restriction of the airways.
