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The glottis closes partway through an exhalation. The abdominal and internal intercostal muscles then contract suddenly, creating pressure that blasts the air out of the respiratory passages. This describes a (a) sneeze, (b) hiccough, (c) cough, (d) laryngeal spasm, (e) gag.

Short Answer

Expert verified
(c) cough.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Scenario

The problem describes a sequence of events involving the glottis, abdominal muscles, and internal intercostal muscles. First, the glottis closes, and then there is a sudden contraction of muscles, creating pressure to expel air forcefully from the respiratory passages.
02

Analyze Muscle Involvement

The scenario involves the contraction of abdominal and internal intercostal muscles, which are typically responsible for forcing air out of the lungs.
03

Recognize Respiratory Responses

Consider the types of physiological responses that involve expelling air from the lungs through the mechanism described. Common actions like sneezing, hiccoughing, coughing, and laryngeal spasm need to be examined.
04

Narrow Down to Physiological Action

Among the options given: sneeze, hiccough, cough, laryngeal spasm, and gag, a cough particularly involves the sudden closure of the glottis followed by muscle contraction to expel air.
05

Match Scenario to Definition

A cough is characterized by closing the glottis, building up pressure, and then releasing the air forcefully. This perfectly matches the given sequence of events.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Glottis Closure
The glottis is a crucial part of your airway located in the larynx, which plays a significant role during the act of coughing. It acts almost like a gatekeeper for air flow. During a cough, the glottis closes temporarily. This brief closure creates a seal within the air passageways.
When the glottis is closed, it enables the buildup of pressure in the chest cavity. Once this pressure is sufficient, the glottis opens suddenly. The built-up pressure leads to a rapid expulsion of air, helping to clear your airways.
  • This closure helps prevent foreign particles from entering your airways.
  • It ensures the expulsion of irritants during a cough.
In summary, the glottis closure is essential for generating the force necessary for an effective cough.
Abdominal Muscles
Abdominal muscles significantly contribute to the forceful expulsion of air during a cough. When you cough, these muscles contract to compress the contents of the abdomen.
This action increases the pressure in the abdominal cavity and pushes the diaphragm upward. This increases thoracic pressure, aiding in expelling air quickly.
  • Active contraction of abdominal muscles supports air expulsion.
  • They work together with other muscles to clear respiratory pathways.
In this way, the abdominal muscles are essential to making a cough powerful and effective.
Internal Intercostal Muscles
The internal intercostal muscles reside between the ribs, playing a key part in the mechanics of breathing and coughing. During a cough, these muscles contract to help decrease the volume of the thoracic cavity.
This contraction assists in rapidly increasing intrathoracic pressure, further aiding in the forceful expulsion of air.
  • These muscles work to facilitate exhalation during forceful breathing.
  • Their contraction makes a cough more efficient by swiftly reducing lung volume.
Internal intercostal muscles, along with other muscle groups, ensure that each cough is strong enough to clear the airways quickly.
Respiratory Response
A respiratory response like coughing is a protective reflex aimed at clearing the airways of irritation or obstructions. This automatic response involves a sequence of physiological events:
  • Starts with the irritation of respiratory pathways due to particles or mucus.
  • Reflexively, this stimulates a series of muscle contractions.
During a cough, the response involves both involuntary and voluntary actions working together. It ensures maximum cleansing of the airways by producing a quick rush of expelled air.
This fast, powerful expulsion helps remove irritants effectively, protecting lung health. As a result, coughing is considered one of the body's primary defenses against respiratory complications.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Which of the following does not occur in internal respiration? (a) Oxygen diffuses from the blood to the interstitial spaces, (b) Carbon dioxide diffuses from the interstitial spaces to the blood, (c) Hemoglobin binds more oxygen, (d) Bicarbonate ions are formed in red blood cells, (e) Chloride ions diffuse into red blood cells as bicarbonate ions diffuse out.

Billy's normal alveolar ventilation rate (AVR) during mild exercise is \(6.0 \mathrm{~L} / \mathrm{min}\). While at the beach on a warm summer day, he goes snorkeling. The snorkel has a volume of \(50 \mathrm{~mL}\). Assuming that the water is not too cold and that snorkeling is mild exercise for Billy, what would his respiratory rate have to be for him to maintain an AVR of \(6.0 \mathrm{~L} / \mathrm{min}\) while snorkeling? (Assume a constant tidal volume of \(500 \mathrm{~mL}\) and an anatomic dead space of \(150 \mathrm{~mL}\).)

For any partial pressure of oxygen, if the concentration of 2,3 -bisphosphoglycerate (BPG) increases, (a) the amount of oxygen released by hemoglobin will decrease, (b) the oxygen levels in hemoglobin will be unaffected, (c) the amount of oxygen released by hemoglobin will increase, \((d)\) the amount of carbon dioxide carried by hemoglobin will increase.

Mr. B. has had chronic advanced emphysema for 15 years. While hospitalized with a respiratory infection, he goes into respiratory distress. Without thinking, his nurse immediately administers pure oxygen, which causes Mr. B. to stop breathing. Why?

Surfactant (a) protects the surface of the lungs, (b) phagocytizes small particulates, (c) replaces mucus in the alveoli, (d) helps prevent the alveoli from collapsing. (e) is not found in healthy lung tissue.

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