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PHYSICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN EMPYEMA THORACIS. 1
Author(s) -
King By E. S. J.,
Trethewie E. R.
Publication year - 1944
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.111
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 0004-8682
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.1944.tb04432.x
Subject(s) - medicine , elasticity (physics) , hilum (anatomy) , anatomy , composite material , materials science
Summary There is a “negative” intrapleuid pressure which is different in different phases of respiration and may be different in different parts of the chest. This is determined by a variably elastic organ in a variably movable but nevertheless relatively rigid elastic bony cage. The elasticity of the organ differs very greatly towards the periphery as compared with the hilum, but since the peripheral potion is the significant part, particularly when changes occur relatively rapidly, this is considered to the relative exclusion of the hilar region. The nature and amount of material in the pleural space will have animportant bearing on phenomena in this region. In normal circumstances there is only a minute amount of pleural fluid between the visceral and parietal surfaces which may be regarded as being comparable with nornial tissue fluid and consists of water, salts and probably a small qiiantity of protein. Its viscosity therefore is little higher than that of water.