Abstract
Book cover Diagnostic and Interventional Bronchoscopy in Children pp 45-50Cite as Physiology of the Airways Petr Pohunek Chapter First Online: 29 November 2020 314 Accesses 1 Citations Part of the Respiratory Medicine book series (RM) Abstract For a pulmonologist it is of major importance to properly understand the anatomy of the lungs and the airways as it is essential for orientation in the airways and interpretation of structural abnormalities of the bronchial tree. No less important is also understanding at least the basic physiological principles of breathing in health and disease.
This knowledge is of critical importance especially for a bronchoscopist to ensure safety of the procedure and for interpreting dynamic abnormalities within the airways during a bronchoscopy. Airway patency, stability, and variability of airway obstruction play an important role in many respiratory diseases, such as congenital defects, asthma, and some inflammatory conditions.
Reducing the airway lumen when inserting a bronchoscope may lead to increased airway resistance and altered air flow. This may cause some misinterpretation of bronchoscopic findings.
Understanding lung physiology and the possible changes in breathing during bronchoscopy is also very important for conducting safe anesthesia. This chapter provides a review of the basic physiological principles related to the airways and the respiratory tract with special focus on interference of bronchoscopy and breathing.