Surfactant reduces the tension in the walls of the alveoli. what effect would the abscence of surfactant have?

Question

on breathing?

Answer 1

Without surfactant, the surface tension inside the alveoli pull on the lung tissue making it extremely difficult to expand the lungs. Without surfactant, it takes a huge force to inhale and it puts a lot of tension and negative pressure on the lung tissue. That is why premature infants develop RDS.

Answer 2

Surfactant, a combination of phospholipids and lipoproteins decrease the surface tension of the water film that lines the alveoli and thereby decreases the tendency of the alveoli to collapse, and the increased work of breathing that would be needed to re-inflate them.
If surfactant is decreased alveoli begin to collapse in various areas throughout the lund. Blood flowing to these areas does not receive any oxygen. The heart works harder and can't get enough oxygen to feed its own muscle or the other organs.
Work of breathing increases and the respiratory muscles such as the diaphragm and intercostals become fatigued. Carbon dioxide is retained and increases acidosis in the body.
If there were no surfactant at all the lungs would just collapse entirely.

Answer 3

Every alveoli has a 'stretch' receptor within the lining. This means that every time you take a breath and stretch the alveoli it is activated to produce surfactant. This then lines the alveoli and helps to keeps it open. Without it the alveoli shrivel and shrink. Do you remember when we were kids and we would get 1 cent balloons and try to blow them up for the first time without stretching them first. Remember that harsh burning in your checks as your face fought against the rubber. That's the effect of the absence of surfactant on the alveoli. It increases surface tension, reduces compliance and when trying to ventilate we can even cause barotrauma just opening them up. That's why we do surfactant administration and add peep while avoiding higher levels of oxygen when we can to decrease the chance of oxygen absorption atelectasis. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Tension Walls

Answer 5

Infant respiratory distress syndrome ("RDS", also called "Respiratory distress syndrome of newborn", previously called hyaline membrane disease), is a syndrome caused in premature infants by developmental insufficiency of surfactant production and structural immaturity in the lungs. Gaseous exchange in alveoli is grossly impaired and often results in death of new born unless energetically managed in incubators.