Question

3. Imagine you are talking with your friend while drinking water. All of a sudden, you start coughing uncontrollably because water has just gone down the “wrong pipe.” Explain why this happened. What structure prevents this? Explain the inside of the lungs (the branching systems) and why they do not like for liquid to be in the lungs. What happens when the lungs fill with liquid?

Answer 1

The water must have entered larynx . Normally this is prevenred by the epiglottis . The respiratory passage is like :

Larynx -> Trachea -> Primary bronchus -> Secondary bronchus -> Tertiary bronchioles -> Respiratory bronchioles -> Alveoli .

Presence of water interrupts with the exchange of oxygen in the lungs . This condition is called as pulmonary edema. There occurs ballooning of the lungs . The septum becomes thickened . Capillaries are engorged.