Chest pain is a frightening symptom that immediately brings forward images of emergency rooms, heart attacks and other life-altering diagnoses. Right-sided chest pain should not be ignored, but myriad etiologies exist for this discomfort. Within...
Healthy lung tissue provides the exchange surface for blood and the gases in alveoli. The alveoli are the final structures enabling the transfer of gases between lung tissue and blood. When lung tissue is damaged from chronic obstructive pulmonary...
Healthy lungs deliver oxygen to and remove carbon dioxide from the body. Unlike other internal organs, healthy lungs are routinely and directly touched by the outside environment through the air breathed in. The delicate tissues of the lungs must...
The lungs are a component of the group of tissues in the body known as the respiratory system. The lungs bring fresh air containing oxygen into the body, and breathe out unabsorbed and waste gases. Each cell in a person's body requires oxygen to...
The lungs are two cone-shaped organs that lie on each side of the chest cavity. Thousands of tiny sponge-like air sacs called alveoli make up the lung tissue. This tissue fills the spaces between a network of branching, tree-like tubes and blood...
The lungs are the organs responsible for respiration. Lee-Ellen Copstead, Ph.D. and Jacquelyn Banasik, Ph.D., authors of "Pathophysiology: Biological and Behavioral Perspectives," discuss the respiratory system in depth. The specific anatomy of...
Breathing is a mechanical process that humans perform automatically, meaning the muscles involved perform the action without conscious effort. Breathing is performed by the respiratory system, which consists of the lungs, trachea, bronchi and...
Mucus plug, the excessive secretion of slippery substance produced by the cells lining the airways of the lungs, is a result of various respiratory conditions that exhibit mucus hypersecretion. These include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary...
Your respiratory system consists of the lungs, the airways, and the muscles required to inflate and deflate your lungs. Its purpose is to take in oxygen from the atmosphere so that your heart can circulate oxygenated blood to your tissues. The...
The lungs are responsible for transporting blood around your body and disposing of the waste gas, carbon dioxide. When you exercise the lungs have to work harder but according to Health Central, physical activity can strengthen limb muscles,...
Thoracic surgery encompasses invasive procedures utilized to diagnose and treat diseases and disorders of the chest organs. Surgeons perform an array of different thoracic surgery procedures, increasingly employing minimally invasive surgical...
Your normal rate of breathing is 12 to 15 times a minute. When you work out, your heart rate and breathing rate increase at the same time. Your heart pumps oxygenated blood to your muscles and tissues and collects waste gas, or carbon dioxide....
In the lungs, oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged through a complex and ingenious masterpiece of biological processes. The lungs are a pair of vital organs that are miraculous in function and marvelous in form. Without them and the air we...
Postural drainage, or chest physical therapy, is used in the treatment of people suffering from cystic fibrosis to help them breathe more easily and maintain good health. This form of therapy uses a combination of percussion and gravity to loosen...
Pain in the upper right portion of the abdomen may have many causes. It may originate in the stomach, liver, gallbladder or pancreas. A problem with the heart or lung may be felt as abdominal pain. A musculoskeletal injury or condition could lead...
The American Cancer Society describes the lungs as two sponge-like organs that are divided into sections called lobes. The left lung is smaller than the right lung to allow room for the heart. Tubes called bronchi link the lungs to the trachea, or...
Unilateral upper limb edema refers to the swelling of the soft tissues of either the right or left arm or hand. Edema is more common in the legs and feet. If it occurs in the upper extremity, it is usually due to problems with drainage of the...
Liver cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, though it is rare in the United States, according to MayoClinic.com. It begins in the cells of the liver, the largest organ in your body. If your doctor diagnoses liver cancer, it is...
Pain is a sign that something is wrong. Pain can warn a person that he has been wounded or that he has a medical condition that needs attention. Pain can be severe or mild, constant or intermittent, sharp or dull and in one specific place or...
The circulatory system in a person's body is designed to circulate and oxygenate blood, deliver nutrients and remove waste products. The system is divided into three smaller components, including a person's pulmonary circulation and systemic...
The lungs are the main component of your respiratory system. The respiratory system works closely with the cardiovascular system to provide your body with vital oxygen. The lungs themselves have many components that work to help attach oxygen to...
Lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in the United States according to the Mayo Clinic, describes the abnormal growth of cells in the lungs. Lung cancers typically begin in the cells lining the bronchial tubes, as described by the...
Numerous conditions or injuries can cause right-sided chest pain. According to MayoClinic.com, chest pain, including right-sided chest pain, can manifest suddenly. Chest pain is one of the most common reasons people seek emergency medical help....
Lung development in a fetus starts during the embryonic phase, at around four weeks of gestational age. Very early in development, what will eventually be a baby is nothing more than a cell ball, where none of the cells are yet specialized. An...
The lungs are shaped like large, spongy, slightly concave cones on either side of the chest cavity. Made of multitudes of air sacs, they are lightweight and elastic. The right lung is larger than the left and has three lobes; the left lung has two...
Asthma is a chronic and long-term lung condition that affects people of all ages but more often starts in childhood. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, asthma affects nearly 22 million people in the United States and 6...
The liver, your largest organ, is located behind your ribcage just below your right lung, according to the University of Southern California's Department of Surgery. If you're thinking, "An organ that takes up so much space must be important!"...
The heart is part of the larger circulatory system. It is a large muscle that pumps blood to the lungs and the body using different blood vessels. It is important to know some basic anatomy to fully understand how the system works.
Tuberculosis is a systemic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The infection can affect any of your organs, but lungs are the most common primary site of infection. Your immune system mounts a response against inhaled...