Passage When Present in the Bloodstream Above a Threshold Partial Pressure

Passage
When present in the bloodstream above a threshold partial pressure, a general anesthetic blocks the sensation of pain, induces a state of unconsciousness, and causes muscle paralysis.  Many anesthetic agents are administered in their gaseous phase and are absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs.  The rate of diffusion V_gas of an anesthetic across the alveolar membrane with a surface area A and a thickness T is described by the Fick law of diffusion:
Vgas=DAΔPTEquation 1where D is the diffusion coefficient specific for the gas and ΔP is the partial pressure difference across the membrane.An inhaled anesthetic is described by its blood-gas partition coefficient, the ratio of the anesthetic's concentration in the blood to its concentration in the lungs when the partial pressures are equal.  The concentration C of an anesthetic gas dissolved in blood is described by the Henry law of solubility:
C=kHPgasEquation 2where k_H is the solubility constant specific for the gas and P_gas is the partial pressure of the gas.Due to the paralytic effects of general anesthetics, mechanical ventilators are usually necessary to assist a patient's breathing during surgery.  Positive-pressure ventilators are noninvasive and use external pumps to induce inspiration by forcing air into the lungs through a ventilation mask.  Despite the paralytic effects of general anesthesia, patients are often capable of expiration without the active aid of a mechanical ventilator.
-A positive pressure mechanical ventilator most likely inflates the lungs by directly:

A) increasing intrapleural pressure.
B) decreasing intrapleural pressure.
C) increasing alveolar pressure.
D) decreasing alveolar pressure.

Correct Answer:

Verified

Unlock this answer now
Get Access to more Verified Answers free of charge

Access For Free