Final answer:
In pink puffer's emphysema, the loss of elasticity in the alveolar walls results in difficulty during expiration, making it more laborious and less efficient, often requiring muscular effort and assistive breathing techniques.
Step-by-step explanation:
Upon expiration in individuals with pink puffer's emphysema, the damaged alveoli with reduced elasticity cannot effectively recoil, making exhalation more effortful and less efficient. Normally, expiration is a passive process where the elasticity of lung tissue causes it to recoil, and the diaphragm and intercostal muscles relax, increasing intrapulmonary pressure, and causing air to leave the lungs. However, due to emphysema, the loss of alveolar walls and the loss of elastic fibers in the lungs result in air trapping and hyperinflation, which can lead to breathlessness and a decreased ability to expel air. This condition usually requires additional muscular effort to breathe out, and in advanced stages, patients may need assistive devices like pursed-lip breathing to help with expiration.During expiration in pink puffers emphysema, the intercostal muscles and diaphragm relax, causing the lungs to recoil and the airways to close. The pressure within the lungs increases, leading to air rushing out of the lungs. Additionally, there is high surface tension at the air-airway interface in the lung, which is reduced by surfactant, allowing for the opening of the alveoli.