how does lack of surfactant influence ventilation?
449902
surfactant is produced by the lungs in order to maintain the surface tension of the aveolar, and to enhance gaseous exchange for respiration.  \n\nWith sufractant, your aveolar will collapse and no air can be exchange.  \n\nVery often, this can happen to premature infant, most likely when the baby was born before 33 week gestation age.  Those baby will present with respiratory distress at birth.  They require immediate O2 right after delivery.  NICU care is needed and most often those babies need to be intubated for mechanical ventilation due to lack of surfactant.\n\nProvine surfactant is commonly use now and the surfactant can directly pour into the ET tube into the lungs.  \n\nOn the chest X-ray, baby lack of surfactant will present a 'ground glass' pattern of the lungs.  The diagnosis is Respiratory Distress Syndrome.\n\nCurrently suggestion is to give the mother 2 doses of steriod before the immature baby is born because steriod helps lung maturity.  Also, the Lecithin;Sphingomyelin ratio of the mother before deliver can give the doctor some idea the maturity of the lungs.  If the ratio is >2, the lungs are most likely mature and have sufficient surfactant.
350863
The diffusion of gas across a membrane requires that the membrane be wet.  If the wet membrane were on the surface the animal would quickly dry out.  Since the exchange is located deep in a lung there is opportunity for the water to be recovered before exhaling.
333195
There are way too many variables for anyone to be able to give you a good answer from the information you gave. I'm an RT & take care of patients on ventilators in the ICU. If you have specific questions, and can share more info, you can email me & I'll try to answer them for you.
807461
?? \n\nWhy would there be any disadvantages associated with adequate ventilation since breathing is occuring at a normal rate and the oxygen is being delivered to the cells?
86820
The lungs are surrounded by two membranes, the pleurae. The outer pleura is attached to the chest wall and is known as the parietal pleura; the inner one is attached to the lung and other visceral tissues and is known as the visceral pleura. In between the two is a thin space known as the pleural cavity or pleural space. It is filled with pleural fluid, a serous fluid produced by the pleura.\n\nThe pleural fluid lubricates the pleural surfaces and allows the layers of pleura to slide against each other easily during respiration. It also provides the surface tension that keeps the lung surface in contact with the chest wall. During quiet breathing, the cavity normally experiences a negative pressure (compared to the atmosphere) which helps adhere the lungs to the chest wall, so that movements of the chest wall during breathing are coupled closely to movements of the lungs.\n\nThe parietal pleura is highly sensitive to pain; the visceral pleura is not. The visceral pleura has a dual blood supply, from the bronchial and pulmonary arteries. In humans, there is no anatomical connection between the left and right pleural cavities, so in cases of pneumothorax (see below), the other hemithorax will still be able to function normally.\n\nDiseases involving the pleura include:\n\n    * Pneumothorax (collapsed lung): air enters the pleural cavity, either from the outside or from the lungs. This can be the result of a penetrating chest wound, or of an internal injury. A tension pneumothorax is where the punctured chest wall forms a one way valve so that air may enter (through the puncture) on inspiration, but cannot exit on expiration. With each breath air builds up in the chest cavity, compressing the lung still further, thus reducing the surface area available for gas exchange. It is a medical emergency.\n    * Pleural effusion: fluid accumulates in the pleural space, compressing the lungs. This can result for example from lung cancer, infection or heart failure.\n    * Mesothelioma: this is a type of cancer caused by asbestos exposure.\n    * Pleurisy: an inflammation of the pleura, especially one causing painful respiration. Pleurisy can be provoked by a variety of infectious and non-infectious causes. The modern term for this is pleuritis, but the older term is still in common use.
188594
I'm also amazed at the answers including the preceding one. It's true it's all about bouyancy. But is bouyancy affected significantly by the dissolved oxygen in the tissues? According to the ref., bouyancy is just about lung capacity, bone, fat and muscle ratios. And of course the salinity of the water. Also, panic-induced body tension can reduce lung capacity and muscle performance.  \nAnyway, a change in tissue oxygen level would happen slowly; it's a diffusive process. Second, the density difference of water with and without dissolved oxygen has to be minute since oxygen is only sparingly soluble.
915464
In the alveoli the exchange is simply the difference in concentraions, diffusion.  The high concentration of oxygen in the lungs and low concentration of oxygen from the pulmonary artery (the opposite for CO2) follow the laws of diffusion.  In muscle cells CO2 is released by the muscle in combination with water to form H2CO3, an acid, as well as lactic acid.  The acidic environment results in what is called a Bohr shift, which decreases the affinity of oxygen to the hemoglobin to which it is attached.  This way the cells in the body can get oxygen on demand: cells with a higher metabolism get priority over cells with lower metabolism.\n\nSide note:\nCarbon monoxide prevents hemoglobin from releasing its oxygen creating an anoxic state.
978987
""NO""!!!!! Coughing puts extra Pressure and Strain on the Heart and Lungs. It also constricts the Muscles around the Heart, Chest and Lungs which cause Hypoxia, lack of Oxygen. This is the # one cause of a Heart Attack, Hypoxia. Herbert West III Disabeled Former Paramedic/ACLS-I {Advanced Cardiac Life Support-Instructor}, A.H.A. {AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION} CPR-I {CARDIO PULMINARY RECESSITAION-INSTRUCTOR} , Journalist. west.herb@yahoo.com
446201
Hypervenilating removes extra carbon dioxide from the blood.  Our urge to breathe is not driven by lack of oxygen, but by extra CO2 building up; this also affects blood pH, as it forms carbonic acid, so low pH stimulates breathing, too.\n\nThus, the person can hold their breath longer, after hyperventilating.  he / she will not be forced to surface to breathe, to relieve the urge to remove more CO2.\n\nHowever, they will have disturbed their blood pH, which can cause the brain to malfunction, leading to loss of muscular control, and to drowning.\n\nThey might get low on oxygen, too.  Normally, we carry plenty of oxygen in our bodies; even the air we breathe out has plenty of oxygen in it, and can be forced into the lungs of an unconscious person, in "mouth to mouth resuscitation".  IRC the proper name for this is "expired air resuscitation" but I am not sure.
354461
General exercise such as running and aerobics increase lung volume.\nPractice will also dramatically improve how long you can hold your breath.
1041618
my grandpa has 1 lung and lives a easy-going life at a VERY low altitude where there is lots of humidity-its easier for him to breathe that way
227115
air is moved into the lungs
1039404
Lack of oxygen in your system!
985470
Emphysema begins with the destruction of air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs where oxygen from the air is exchanged for carbon dioxide in the blood. The walls of the air sacs are thin and fragile. Damage to the air sacs is irreversible and results in permanent "holes" in the tissues of the lower lungs.\n\nAs air sacs are destroyed, the lungs are able to transfer less and less oxygen to the bloodstream, causing shortness of breath. The lungs also lose their elasticity, which is important to keep airways open.  The patient experiences great difficulty exhaling.\n\nEmphysema doesn't develop suddenly.  It comes on very gradually. Years of exposure to the irritation of cigarette smoke usually precede the development of emphysema.\n\nA person may initially visit the doctor because he or she has begun to feel short of breath during activity or exercise. As the disease progresses, a brief walk can be enough to bring on difficulty in breathing. Some people may have had chronic bronchitis before developing emphysema.
1114364
Pros-less chance of infection due to less surface area\nCons-if trachea is blocked or destroyed, there is no secondary source of getting oxygen...also, if we had more "tubes" or, like fish that breath through their entire body, we could get more oxygen to our bodies\nps-did you know that you also breath through your skin, but it is a minimal fraction compared to the oxygen you bring in through your trachea?  however, if you were to wrap plastic tightly around your back and close off all air supply, you could suffocate
1045845
YES!  \nAbsolutely it does!\nYou are not taking in the proper amount of oxygen therefore not oxygenating your blood stream/muscles/lungs properly.
716699
Um, I think one would be the CO2 build up causes the lungs to breathe, in a nutshell.