Which allows the lungs to expand and compress?

The diaphragm: Located below the lungs, the diaphragm is the main muscle needed to breathe. It separates the chest and abdominal cavities and contracts to help inflate the lungs. Intercostal muscles: Located between the ribs, these muscles give the lungs room to breathe by expanding and contracting the chest cavity.

What helps to inflate and deflate your lungs?

The lungs are elastic; therefore, when air fills the lungs, the elastic recoil within the tissues of the lung exerts pressure back toward the interior of the lungs and pushes air back out of the lungs. These outward and inward forces compete to inflate and deflate the lung with every breath.

What keeps the lung expanded?

Pneumothorax is the medical term most people associate with a lung collapse but actually means “air in the pleura space causing your lungs to collapse or be compressed.” The pressure from the air keeps your lungs from being able to fully expand.

What is Subpleural?

Medical Definition of subpleural : situated or occurring between the pleura and the body wall.

What is a Lingula?

Medical Definition of lingula : a tongue-shaped process or part: as. a : a ridge of bone in the angle between the body and the greater wing of the sphenoid. b : an elongated prominence of the superior vermis of the cerebellum. c : a dependent projection of the upper lobe of the left lung.

What keeps lungs from collapsing?

But two factors prevent the lungs from collapsing: surfactant and the intrapleural pressure. Pleural pressure is the pressure in the pleural space. When this pressure is lower than the pressure of alveoli they tend to expand. This prevents the elastic fibers and outside pressure from crushing the lungs.

What reduces friction around the lungs as they expand and contract?

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.

What is the name of the tiny air sacs in your lungs?

alveoli
Tiny air sacs at the end of the bronchioles (tiny branches of air tubes in the lungs). The alveoli are where the lungs and the blood exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide during the process of breathing in and breathing out.

What is meant by exhalation?

Exhalation (or expiration) is the flow of the breath out of an organism. In animals, it is the movement of air from the lungs out of the airways, to the external environment during breathing.

Why does my lung keep collapsing?

Collapsed lung can be caused by an injury to the lung. Injuries can include a gunshot or knife wound to the chest, rib fracture, or certain medical procedures. In some cases, a collapsed lung is caused by air blisters (blebs) that break open, sending air into the space around the lung.

What can be done for a collapsed lung?

On some occasions, a collapsed lung can be a life-threatening event. Treatment for a pneumothorax usually involves inserting a needle or chest tube between the ribs to remove the excess air. However, a small pneumothorax may heal on its own.