Which of the following statement most accurately describes the relationship between the contracting muscles, the pressure or resistance change, and the movement of air during quiet breathing in a healthy individual.

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The prompt asks us to examine each statement and understand how diaphragm/contraction, airway resistance, and air movement relate during quiet breathing in a healthy person.
Option 1: 'Contraction of the diaphragm during inspiration produces downward movement of the diaphragm into the abdominal cavity and increases intrathoracic pressure to help draw in air.' While it's true that the diaphragm contracts and moves downward during inspiration, the classical mechanism is that this contraction increases the thoracic volume and lowers intrathoracic pressure, creating a gradient that draws air into the lungs. The statement incorrectly says intrathoracic pressure increases, which would oppose air inflow. The core concept—diaphragm contraction leading to greater thoracic volume and a negative pressure relative to the outside—is not correctly captured here.
Option 2: 'Contraction of the upper airways adductors increase upper airway resistance that slows the exhalation of air from the lung during early expiration, this may help increase retention time of the air in the lungs.' This option emphasizes upper airway adduction and increased resistance to slow exhalation. In quiet (normal) breathing, expiration is typically passive and not driven by intentional or significant upper airway resistance. While airway resistance can influence breathing, the phrasing implies an active, targeted role of upper airway adductors during early expiration that is not characteristic of normal quiet breathing. Therefore, this statement misstates the typical physiology of quiet breathing.
Option 3: 'During expiration, relaxation of abdominal muscles increases abdominal pressure, pushing up on the diaphragm to increase intrathoracic pressure to help ‘push’ out the air from the lungs.' In quiet breathing, expiration is usually a passive process due to elastic recoil of the lungs and chest wall, with the diaphragm relaxing and returning toward a dome shape rather than actively increasing abdominal pressure to push air out. The description of increasing abdominal pressure and actively pushing the air out does not align with the standard passive expiration mechanism observed in healthy individuals at rest. Additionally, the claim that relaxation of abdominal muscles increases abdominal pressure is inconsistent with typical physiology, where relaxation would not drive pressure upward.
Across all options, the central relationships—diaphragm movement during inspiration, the direction of pressure change to enable air inflow, and the passive nature of quiet expiration—are either misrepresented or not aligned with normal quiet breathing mechanics. The most accurate concepts appear only in fragments across the choices, but each option contains a misleading or incomplete element that distracts from the standard description.

Which of the following statement most accurately describes the relationship between the contracting muscles, the pressure or resistance change, and the movement of air during quiet breathing in a healthy individual.

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Which of the following statement most accurately describes the relationship between the contracting muscles, the pressure or resistance change, and the movement of air during quiet breathing in a healthy individual.

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

When pressure inside the alveolus exceeds atmospheric pressure _________________.

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Which of the following best describes movements of the throracic wall?

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