CHAPTER III

A. Anatomy and Physiology

The lungs are located in the chest and are part of the respiratory
system.

Structure

The lungs take up most of the space inside the chest. The lungs are
surrounded by the chest wall. The chest wall is made up of the ribs and
the muscles between the ribs. The lungs are separated by the
mediastinum which contains the heart and other organs. Below the lungs
is the diaphragm, a thin muscle that separates the chest cavity from the
abdomen.
Each lung is divided into lobes (sections):
The left lung has 2 lobes.
The heart sits in a groove (cardiac notch) in the lower lobe.
The right lung has 3 lobes and is slightly larger than the left lung.

The trachea (windpipe) is the tube-shaped airway in the neck and

chest. It divides into 2 tubes or branches called the main bronchi. One
bronchus goes to each lung. The area where each bronchus enters the
lung is called the hilum.

The pleura is a thin membrane that covers the lungs and lines the
chest wall. It protects and cushions the lungs and produces a fluid that
acts like a lubricant so the lungs can move smoothly in the chest cavity.
The pleura is made up of 2 layers:
inner (visceral) pleura the layer next to the lung
outer (parietal) pleura the layer that lines the chest wall

The area between the 2 layers is called the pleural space.

Each of the main bronchi divides or branches into smaller bronchi (which
have small glands and cartilage in their walls). These smaller bronchi
eventually divide into even smaller tubes called bronchioles (which have
no glands or cartilage). At the end of the bronchioles are millions of tiny
sacs called alveoli. Surrounding the alveoli are very tiny blood vessels
(capillaries).

The bronchi are lined with cells that have very fine hair-like
projections called cilia.

The lungs produce a mixture of fats and proteins called lung or

pulmonary surfactant. The surfactant coats the surfaces of the alveoli,
making it easier for them to expand and deflate with each breath.

Different groups of lymph nodes which are part of the lymphatic system,
drain fluid normally produced in the lung:
bronchial nodes lymph nodes around the main bronchi
hilar nodes lymph nodes in the area where the trachea divides
into the main bronchi
upper (superior) mediastinal nodes lymph nodes at the top of the
mediastinum
subcarinal mediastinal nodes lymph nodes just below the trachea
where it divides into the main bronchi
lower (inferior) mediastinal nodes lymph nodes at the bottom of
the mediastinum
Function

The main functions of the lungs are to transfer oxygen from the air to
the blood and to release carbon dioxide from the blood to the air.

Air enters the mouth or nose and travels through the trachea
(windpipe), bronchi and bronchioles to the alveoli. The exchange of
oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place in the alveoli.

The alveoli absorb oxygen from the air and pass it into the blood,
which circulates the oxygen around the body.
Carbon dioxide, which is a waste product of the bodys cells, passes
from the blood into the alveoli and is breathed out.

The lungs also play a role in the bodys defenses against harmful
substances in the air, such as smoke, pollution, bacteria or viruses.
These substances can pass through the nose and become trapped in the
lungs. The lungs produce a thick, slippery fluid (mucus), which can trap
and partly destroy these materials. The cilia move rapidly to push the
mucus up through the bronchi, where it is removed by coughing or
swallowing.