Beachey: Respiratory Care Anatomy and Physiology, 2nd Edition

Answers to Concept Questions

Chapter 2: The Lungs and Chest Wall

2-1	The heart occupies a space corresponding to the right lung’s middle lobe. Thus the left lung lacks a middle lobe.

2-2	Large amounts of fluid in the pleural cavity would compress the lung to a smaller volume and restrict its expansion, thus increasing the pressure required for lung inflation.

2-3	Patients with persistent asthma often depend on inhaled beta agonist drugs to keep their airways dilated; beta-blocker drugs would have the opposite effect and could cause bronchospasm in these patients.

2-4	A very large abdomen tends to impede downward diaphragmatic movement during inspiration, decreasing inspired volume and possibly causing chronic underventilation.

2-5	Any abnormal process that increases airway resistance (e.g., bronchospasm, buildup of secretions) or decreases lung compliance (e.g., fibrotic lung diseases, pneumonia, atelectasis) would increase the work of breathing and might require the use of accessory muscles.

2-6	Patients with major abdominal surgery tend to guard against painful abdominal wall movements; thus they tend to breathe shallowly and avoid coughing, which is associated with secretion retention, mucous plugging, and pulmonary infection (pneumonia).