5. Often the lungs of premature infants have not matured to the point where they are producing...

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Medical Sciences

  5. Often the lungs of premature infants havenot matured to the point where they are
producing adequate surfactant. Why might this be aproblem?


Experiment: Investigating IntrapleuralPressure

  1. Describe what happens to air flow when one lung is“collapsed”.

  1. What clinical term is used to describe the conditionof:

  1. a collapsed lung?

  2. air in the pleural cavity?


3. Why does air enter the pleural cavity when the valve isopen?

4. Why does the lung collapse when the valve is opened?(What forces are causing this to happen?)  

      5. Does the lungreinflate once the valve is closed? What must be done in order forthe
lung to reinflate?

     6. A patient is brought tothe emergency room with a stab wound to the right side of the
chest and a collapsed lung. Why is only one lung deflated with theknife wound?

Answer & Explanation Solved by verified expert
3.6 Ratings (339 Votes)
Answer 5 The alveoli in the human lungs are lined by fluid Therefore the alveoli have high surface tension This surface tension has the tendency to collapse the alveoli Therefore if this surface tension in not reduces there work of breathing increases and can lead to fatigue after some time Therefore specialized cells in the lung called the type II pneumocytes to produce surfactants Thes surfactants are a group of phospholipids and proteins They along with calcium spread over the liquid lining of the alveoli and reduce the surface tension A human being starts producing surfactant by 24 28 weeks of gestation When a premature baby is born its lungs are deficient in surfactants As a result the increase in surface tension prevents the lung from expanding This decrease lung compliance in other words resist change in its shape As the lung is not aerated it receives less amount of oxygen and    See Answer
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