Chapter 6: Problem 59
At a restaurant, a customer chokes on a piece of food. You put your arms around the person's waist and use your fists to push up on the person's abdomen, an action called the Heimlich maneuver. a. How would this action change the volume of the chest and lungs? b. Why does it cause the person to expel the food item from the airway?
Short Answer
Expert verified
Pushing the diaphragm up reduces lung volume and increases pressure, forcing air to expel the obstruction.
Step by step solution
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Chest and Lung Volume
When performing the Heimlich maneuver, you apply pressure to a person's abdomen. This action pushes the diaphragm upwards. The diaphragm is a domed muscle at the base of the chest cavity.
By pushing it upwards, you decrease the space inside the chest cavity. Less space means the lungs will have less room to expand, and thus their volume decreases. This decreased volume inside the lungs is crucial for the next step in helping a choking person.
By pushing it upwards, you decrease the space inside the chest cavity. Less space means the lungs will have less room to expand, and thus their volume decreases. This decreased volume inside the lungs is crucial for the next step in helping a choking person.
Diaphragm Function
The diaphragm plays a key role in breathing.
Normally, when you inhale, the diaphragm moves downward, creating more space in the chest cavity and allowing the lungs to expand. This movement decreases pressure in the lungs, letting air flow in.
When you perform the Heimlich maneuver, you do the opposite. The upward force on the diaphragm reduces chest cavity space and lung volume, which increases the pressure inside the lungs. This increased pressure is vital for expelling anything that's blocking the airway.
Normally, when you inhale, the diaphragm moves downward, creating more space in the chest cavity and allowing the lungs to expand. This movement decreases pressure in the lungs, letting air flow in.
When you perform the Heimlich maneuver, you do the opposite. The upward force on the diaphragm reduces chest cavity space and lung volume, which increases the pressure inside the lungs. This increased pressure is vital for expelling anything that's blocking the airway.
Boyle's Law
Boyle's Law states that the pressure and volume of a gas have an inverse relationship. This means when you decrease the volume of a gas, its pressure increases, and vice versa.
During the Heimlich maneuver, when you make the lung volume smaller by pushing the diaphragm up, the pressure inside the lungs goes up.
This high pressure is what forces the air up the windpipe, and ideally, it pushes the blocked object (like food) out of the airway. This is the scientific principle that makes the Heimlich maneuver effective for helping someone who is choking.
During the Heimlich maneuver, when you make the lung volume smaller by pushing the diaphragm up, the pressure inside the lungs goes up.
This high pressure is what forces the air up the windpipe, and ideally, it pushes the blocked object (like food) out of the airway. This is the scientific principle that makes the Heimlich maneuver effective for helping someone who is choking.
