Question

When your clinical ends, mr. b is resting peacefully. his respiratory rate and heart rate are back to normal, his chest tube is not bubbling anymore, and his breath sounds are even on both sides. mrs. h is using her spirometer, and the respiratory tech says her vital capacity is a lot better than it was the first time he checked on her. the cns tells your prof you made a good save in noticing mr. b's tipped chest tube bottle. a great clinical all around! so you treat yourself to an after-class drink with a fellow student who spent her day in the nicu (neonatal intensive care unit). "you won't believe what happened to me today! the transport from er collapsed somebody's lung!" "it must be lung day. we have a preemie in the nicu with collapsed lungs as well." "wow, what happened? did it have a chest injury? do they put chest tubes in babies?" "no, she just never inflated them when she was born. the doctors keep talking about surfactant, but the mom didn't understand what that meant. she was so scared; i felt sorry for her. but i don't think i could explain it either!" you are on a roll today, so help your friend come up with a clear explanation of what surfactant does. choose the best explanation?

Answer 1

Answer: The alveoli are lined with water molecules, which are attracted to one another and tend to move closer together, making the alveoli collapse. Surfactant molecules get in between the water molecules, keeping them apart.

Explanation: Pearson Lab: Respiratory System A&P 2.

Answer 2

The lungs consist of spongy tissue filled with air spaces called alveoli when a person exhales the alveoli would collapse into each other and form larger air sacs with less surface area. Babies that are born prematurely do not have enough surfactant to breathe normally at birth and are said to have infant respiratory distress syndrome. In the lungs, surfactant reduces the surface tension of fluid in the lungs, which helps to maximize the surface area available for gas exchange, equalize the pressures between large and small air spaces and make the small air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) more stable by keeping them from collapsing when a baby exhales.