18 Questions
What is the normal pleural pressure when respiratory muscles are completely relaxed and airways are open?
-2.5 mm Hg
What happens to the pleural pressure during inspiration due to chest wall expansion?
Becomes more negative
What is the clinical significance of intrapleural pressure becoming equal to atmospheric pressure?
Pneumothorax occurs
What is transpulmonary pressure defined as?
Difference between alveolar pressure and atmospheric pressure
During expiration, what causes the decrease in alveolar pressure?
Increase in intrathoracic volume
What results from the elastic recoil of the lungs compressing the air in the alveoli?
Increased lung volume
What is the main muscle responsible for inspiration?
Diaphragm
During inspiration, what happens to the intrapleural pressure?
Decreases
Which muscle is involved in increasing the lateral and anterio-posterior diameters of the thoracic cage during inspiration?
External intercostal muscles
What defines transpulmonary pressure?
Pressure difference between alveolar pressure and intrapleural pressure
Which factor plays a significant role in changing the compliance of the lungs?
Elasticity of lung tissue
In which phase of respiration would one typically observe a decrease in pleural pressure?
Inspiration
What is the role of the abdominal muscles in expiration?
Compress the abdominal cavity and push the diaphragm up
How does intrapleural pressure relate to pleural pressure?
Intrapleural pressure is the pressure of fluid between the visceral and parietal pleura
What causes intrapulmonary pressure to decrease during inspiration in quiet breathing?
Elastic recoil of the lungs
How does intrapulmonary pressure change during expiration in quiet breathing?
Swings slightly to the positive side (+1 mm Hg)
What is transpulmonary pressure?
Pressure difference between intrapulmonary and intrapleural pressure
In quiet breathing, what is the significance of intrapulmonary pressure reaching 0 mm Hg at end-inspiration?
It allows about 500 mL of air to be sucked into the lungs
Test your knowledge on pleural pressures in the respiratory system, including normal pleural pressure, factors affecting pleural pressure changes during inspiration and expiration, and more.
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