How do you breath? What would happen if our diaphragm didn't work? What about a hole in your chest? Why?

Question

How do you breath? What would happen if our diaphragm didn't work? What about a hole in your chest? Why?

Answer 1

With the diaphragm's contraction, the volume of your pleural cavity (the cavity that contains the lungs) increases as the diaphragm goes downards and gets slightly plainer; with the increase in volume, there is a decrease in pressure (pV = p'V'), which causes the atmospheric air to spontaneously enter this area with now relative negative pression.

If your diaphragm didn't work at all you would basically be unable to breathe, as it is the major workhorse involved in inspiration. There are some acessory muscles to it such as the external intercostal ones, but they are pretty much minor.

A hole in your chest, as answered, would puncture the parietal pleura, letting atmospheric air into the pleural cavity and giving no reason for the air to enter all through your nose and trachea to your lung during inspiration, instead simply entering through the puncture itself. This is a condition known as Pneumothorax.

Answer 2

The mechanism of human ventilation is known as negative pressure breathing.  Our diaphragm expands our lungs, creating a vacuum which sucks air in.  Air moves naturally down the pressure gradient, and the pressure inside the expanded lungs is negative relative to the air outside.  If you had a whole in your chest, or a collapsed lung/pneumothorax, you would not be able to create or maintain the pressure gradient.  A collapsed lung is a medical emergency and requires immediate attention.  I'm not sure exactly how it is fixed but it is not uncommon in emergency rooms and is fixable.  If your diaphragm did not work the lungs would not be able to expand or contract, and breathing would stop.  Air would move back and forth, just as it circulates through a still room, but not at sufficient volume or speed to keep you alive.

Some animals like frogs use positive pressure breathing.  Frogs draw air into a space beneath their tongue and then force it into the lungs.  They push whereas we pull.

Answer 3

Browse the articles below:

How You Breathe Is How You Live

The Power of Intention with Breath Work

What You Can Expect