"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers" ~ L.M. Montgomery
Enjoy living while recuperating on the ventilator
True Respiratory Therapy
At Silver Lake our program of wellness is absolutely necessary for respiratory recovery. Understanding the breathing process is very important. We present to you information from the National Institute of Health, explaining why our approach is better and essential for a proper outcome.
How The Lungs Work
The Respiratory System
The Respiratory System
The Respiratory System
Your lungs are on each side of your heart, inside your chest cavity. They are the main organs of the respiratory system. The right lung is divided into three lobes (sections), and the left lung is divided into two lobes. Your left lung is slightly smaller than your right lung, since your heart takes up some space on the left side. When
Your lungs are on each side of your heart, inside your chest cavity. They are the main organs of the respiratory system. The right lung is divided into three lobes (sections), and the left lung is divided into two lobes. Your left lung is slightly smaller than your right lung, since your heart takes up some space on the left side. When you breathe in, air enters your airways and travels down into the air sacs, or alveoli, in your lungs. This is where gas exchange takes place.
The circulatory system, which is made up of the heart and blood vessels, supports the respiratory system by bringing blood to and from the lungs. The circulatory system helps deliver nutrients and oxygen from the lungs to tissues and organs throughout the body. It also helps remove carbon dioxide and waste products. Other body systems that work with the respiratory system include the nervous system, lymphatic system, and immune system.
The Respiratory System
The Respiratory System
The image shows an enlarged view of the airways and lungs, as well as the trachea; bronchial tubes, or bronchi; and bronchioles. The image also shows a close-up view of gas exchange at the alveoli. Blue arrows show oxygen in inhaled air passing into the bloodstream, and green arrows show the carbon dioxide from your body leaving the blo
The image shows an enlarged view of the airways and lungs, as well as the trachea; bronchial tubes, or bronchi; and bronchioles. The image also shows a close-up view of gas exchange at the alveoli. Blue arrows show oxygen in inhaled air passing into the bloodstream, and green arrows show the carbon dioxide from your body leaving the bloodstream. Medical Illustration Copyright © 2022 Nucleus Medical Media Inc. All rights reserved.
The Respiratory System
Airways
The airways are pipes that carry oxygen-rich air to the alveoli in your lungs. They also carry the waste gas carbon dioxide out of your lungs. The airways include these body parts:
· Mouth
· Nose and linked air passages called the nasal cavity and sinuses
· Larynx (voice box)
· Trachea (windpipe)
· Tubes called bronchial tubes, o
Airways
The airways are pipes that carry oxygen-rich air to the alveoli in your lungs. They also carry the waste gas carbon dioxide out of your lungs. The airways include these body parts:
· Mouth
· Nose and linked air passages called the nasal cavity and sinuses
· Larynx (voice box)
· Trachea (windpipe)
· Tubes called bronchial tubes, or bronchi, and their branches
· Smaller tubes called bronchioles that branch off of the bronchial tubes
Air comes into your body
Air first enters your body through your nose or mouth, which moistens and warms the air since cold, dry air can irritate your lungs. The air then travels past your voice box and down your windpipe. Rings of tough tissue, called cartilage, acts as a support to keep the bronchial tubes open.
Inside your lungs, the bronchial tubes branch into thousands of thinner tubes called bronchioles. The bronchioles end in clusters of tiny air sacs called alveoli.
Air fills your lung’s air sacs
Your lungs have about 150 million alveoli. Normally, your alveoli are elastic, meaning that their size and shape can change easily. Alveoli are able to easily expand and contract because their insides are coated with a substance called surfactant. Surfactant reduces the work it takes to breathe by helping the lungs inflate more easily when you breathe in. It also prevents the lungs from collapsing when you breathe out.
Each of these alveoli is made up of a mesh of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. The capillaries connect to a network of arteries and veins that move blood through your body.
Blood low in oxygen flows through the lungs
The pulmonary artery and its branches deliver blood to the capillaries that surround the alveoli. This blood is rich in carbon dioxide and low in oxygen.
Oxygen flows into your blood
Carbon dioxide moves from the blood into the air inside the alveoli. At the same time, oxygen moves from the air into the blood in the capillaries.
.
The Respiratory System
Your lungs are on each side of your heart, inside your chest cavity. They are the main organs of the respiratory system. The right lung is divided into three lobes (sections), and the left lung is divided into two lobes. Your left lung is slightly smaller than your right lung, since your heart takes up some space on the left side. When you breathe in, air enters your airways and travels down into the air sacs, or alveoli, in your lungs. This is where gas exchange takes place.
The circulatory system, which is made up of the heart and blood vessels, supports the respiratory system by bringing blood to and from the lungs. The circulatory system helps deliver nutrients and oxygen from the lungs to tissues and organs throughout the body. It also helps remove carbon dioxide and waste products. Other body systems that work with the respiratory system include the nervous system, lymphatic system, and immune system.
The image shows an enlarged view of the airways and lungs, as well as the trachea; bronchial tubes, or bronchi; and bronchioles. The image also shows a close-up view of gas exchange at the alveoli. Blue arrows show oxygen in inhaled air passing into the bloodstream, and green arrows show the carbon dioxide from your body leaving the bloodstream. Medical Illustration Copyright © 2022 Nucleus Medical Media Inc. All rights reserved.
Airways
The airways are pipes that carry oxygen-rich air to the alveoli in your lungs. They also carry the waste gas carbon dioxide out of your lungs. The airways include these body parts:
· Mouth
· Nose and linked air passages called the nasal cavity and sinuses
· Larynx (voice box)
· Trachea (windpipe)
· Tubes called bronchial tubes, or bronchi, and their branches
· Smaller tubes called bronchioles that branch off of the bronchial tubes
.
The Respiratory System, cont.
Air comes into your body
Air first enters your body through your nose or mouth, which moistens and warms the air since cold, dry air can irritate your lungs. The air then travels past your voice box and down your windpipe. Rings of tough tissue, called cartilage, acts as a support to keep the bronchial tubes open.
Inside your lungs, the bronchial tubes branch into thousands of thinner tubes called bronchioles. The bronchioles end in clusters of tiny air sacs called alveoli.
Air fills your lung’s air sacs
Your lungs have about 150 million alveoli. Normally, your alveoli are elastic, meaning that their size and shape can change easily. Alveoli are able to easily expand and contract because their insides are coated with a substance called surfactant. Surfactant reduces the work it takes to breathe by helping the lungs inflate more easily when you breathe in. It also prevents the lungs from collapsing when you breathe out.
Each of these alveoli is made up of a mesh of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. The capillaries connect to a network of arteries and veins that move blood through your body.
Blood low in oxygen flows through the lungs
The pulmonary artery and its branches deliver blood to the capillaries that surround the alveoli. This blood is rich in carbon dioxide and low in oxygen.
Oxygen flows into your blood
Carbon dioxide moves from the blood into the air inside the alveoli. At the same time, oxygen moves from the air into the blood in the capillaries.
The pleura
The main image shows the location of the lungs, pleura, and diaphragm.
An inset image shows a closer view of the two layers of the pleura and the pleural space.
The lungs are surrounded by the pleura, a membrane with two layers. The space between these two layers is called the pleural cavity. A slippery liquid called pleural fluid acts as a lubricant to reduce friction during breathing.
How Your Body Controls Breathing
The muscles used for breathing
The body’s muscles and nervous system help control your breathing.
The lungs are like sponges; they cannot get bigger on their own. Muscles in your chest and abdomen tighten or contract to create a slight vacuum around the lungs. This causes air to flow in. When you exhale, the muscles relax and the lungs deflate on their own, much like an elastic balloon will deflate if left open to the air.
Your breathing muscles include:
- The diaphragm: This dome-shaped muscle below your lungs separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. The diaphragm is the main muscle used for breathing.
- The muscles between your ribs: Called intercostal muscles, these muscles play a role in breathing during physical activity.
- Abdominal muscles: You use these muscles to help you breathe out when you are breathing fast, such as during physical activity.
- The muscles of the face, mouth, and pharynx: These control the lips, tongue, soft palate, and other structures to help with breathing. The pharynx is the part of the throat right behind the mouth. Problems with any of these muscles can narrow the airway, make it more difficult to breathe, and contribute to sleep apnea.
- Muscles in the neck and collarbone area: You use these muscles to help you breathe in.
Damage to the nerves in the upper spinal cord can interfere with the movement of your diaphragm and other muscles in your chest, neck, and abdomen. This can happen due to a spinal cord injury, a stroke, or a degenerative disease that affects the muscles, such as muscular dystrophy that causes muscle weakness or muscle loss. The damage can cause respiratory failure.
Ventilator support or oxygen therapy may be necessary to maintain oxygen levels in the body and protect the organs from damage.
The nervous system
Your breathing usually does not require any thought, because it is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, also called the involuntary nervous system.
- The parasympathetic system slows your breathing rate. It causes your bronchial tubes to narrow and the pulmonary blood vessels to widen.
- The sympathetic system increases your breathing rate. It makes your bronchial tubes widen and the pulmonary blood vessels narrow.
Your breathing changes depending on how active you are and the condition of the air around you. For example, you need to breathe more often when you do physical activity. At times, you can control your breathing pattern, such as when you hold your breath or sing.
To help adjust your breathing to changing needs, your body has sensors that send signals to the breathing centers in the brain.
- Sensors in the airways detect lung irritants. The sensors can trigger sneezing or coughing. In people who have asthma, the sensors may cause the muscles around the airways in the lungs to contract. This makes the airways smaller.
- Sensors in the brain and near blood vessels detect carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in your blood.
- Sensors in your joints and muscles detect the movement of your arms or legs. These sensors may play a role in increasing your breathing rate when you are physically active.
In central sleep apnea, the brain temporarily stops sending signals to the muscles needed to breathe.
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