anatomy

Lower respiratory tract

Lower respiratory tract
The major passages and structures of the lower respiratory tract include the
windpipe (trachea) and within the lungs, the bronchi, bronchioles,
and alveoli. After the inhaled air moves through the larynx, it reaches the
trachea. The trachea is a rigid, muscular tube about 4.5 inches long and 1
inch wide. Embedded in the walls of the trachea, C-shaped cartilage rings
give the trachea rigidity and allow it to stay open all the time. Inward
airflow from the trachea then branches off to the two bronchi. One
bronchus leads to the right lung, the other to the left lung. The bronchi
also contain C-shaped cartilage rings like the trachea. Deeper in the lungs,
each bronchus divides into secondary and tertiary bronchi, which continue to
branch to smaller airways called the bronchioles. There is no cartilage in the
bronchioles, and therefore they are subject to constriction and obstruction,as
during an asthma attack. The bronchioles end in air sacs called the alveoli.
Alveoli are bunched together into clusters to form alveolar sacs. On the
surface of each alveolus, there is a network of capillaries carrying blood that
has come through veins from other parts of the body. Here gas exchange
occurs – carbon dioxide from the blood is exchanged for oxygen from the
alveoli. After the blood is oxygenated, it goes to the heart (between the
two lungs), where it is pumped out to all of the body tissues and extremities.
When you breathe out, the carbon dioxide is exhaled and expelled from the
body.

Definition
A collapsed lung (pneumothorax) results from a buildup of air in the space
between the lung and the chest wall (pleural space). As the amount of air
in this space increases, the pressure against the lung causes the lung to
collapse. This prevents your lung from expanding properly when you try to
breathe in, causing shortness of breath and chest pain.
A pneumothorax may become life-threatening if the pressure in your
chest prevents the lungs from getting enough oxygen into the blood.
Collapsed and normal lung
A pneumothorax occurs when air gets between your lungs and chest wall,
causing part, or more rarely, the entire lung to collapse