The Lungs The lungs are paired, cone-shaped organs which take up most of the space inour chests,

along with the heart. Their role is to take oxygen into the body, whichwe need for our cells to live and function properly, and to help us get rid ofcarbon dioxide, which is a waste product. We each have two lungs, a left lungand a right lung. These are divided up into 'lobes', or big sections of tissueseparated by 'fissures' or dividers. The right lung has three lobes but the left lunghas only two, because the heart takes up some of the space in the left side of ourchest. The lungs can also be divided up into even smaller portions, called'bronchopulmonary segments'. These are pyramidal-shaped areas which are also separated from each other bymembranes. There are about 10 of them in each lung. Each segment receives itsown blood supply and air supply. Air enters your lungs through a system of pipes called the bronchi. These pipesstart from the bottom of the trachea as the left and right bronchi and branch manytimes throughout the lungs, until they eventually form little thin-walled air sacs orbubbles, known as the alveoli. The alveoli are where the important work of gasexchange takes place between the air and your blood. Covering each alveolus isa whole network of little blood vessel called capillaries, which are very small branches of the pulmonary arteries. It is important that the air in the alveoli andthe blood in the capillaries are very close together, so that oxygen and carbondioxide can move (or diffuse) between them. So, when you breathe in, air comesdown the trachea and through the bronchi into the alveoli. This fresh air has lotsof oxygen in it, and some of this oxygen will travel across the walls of the

alveoliinto your bloodstream. Travelling in the opposite direction is carbon dioxide,which crosses from the blood in the capillaries into the air in the alveoli and isthen breathed out. In this way, you bring in to your body the oxygen that youneed to live, and get rid of the waste product carbon dioxide.

INTRODUCTION Pneumonia is an inflammation or infection of the lungs most commonlycaused by a bacteria or virus. Pneumonia can also be caused by inhaling vomitor other foreign substances. In all cases, the lungs' air sacs fill with pus , mucous,and other liquids and cannot function properly. This means oxygen cannot reachthe blood and the cells of the body. Most pneumonias are caused by bacterial infections.The most commoninfectious cause of pneumonia in the United States is the bacteria Streptococcuspneumoniae. Bacterial pneumonia can attack anyone. The most common causeof bacterial pneumonia in adults is a bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniaeor Pneumococcus. Pneumococcal pneumonia occurs only in the lobar form. An increasing number of viruses are being identified as the cause of respiratoryinfection. Half of all pneumonias are believed to be of viral origin. Most viralpneumonias are patchy and the body usually fights them off without help frommedications or other treatments. Pneumococcus can affect more than the lungs. The bacteria can also causeserious infections of the covering of the brain (meningitis), the bloodstream, andother parts of the body. Community-acquired pneumonia develops in people with limited or no contact with medical institutions or settings. The most commonly identified pathogensareStreptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and atypical organisms(ie, Chlamydia pneumoniae,Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Legionella sp). Symptomsand signs are fever, cough, pleuritic chest pain, dyspnea, tachypnea, andtachycardia. Diagnosis is based on clinical presentation and chest x-ray.Treatment is with empirically chosen antibiotics. Prognosis is excellent forrelatively young or healthy patients, but many pneumonias, especially when caused by S. pneumoniae or influenza virus, are fatal in older, sicker patients.

INTRODUCTION Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs caused by an infection. It is also called Pneumonitis or Bronchopneumonia. Pneumonia can be a serious threat to our health. Although pneumonia is a special concern for older adults and those with chronic illnesses, it can also strike young, healthy people as well. It is a common illness that affects thousands of people each year in the Philippines, thus, it remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the country. There are many kinds of pneumonia that range in seriousness from mild to life-threatening. In infectious pneumonia, bacteria, viruses, fungi or other organisms attack your lungs, leading to inflammation that makes it hard to breathe. Pneumonia can affect one or both lungs. In the young and healthy, early treatment with antibiotics can cure bacterial pneumonia. The drugs used to fight pneumonia are determined by the germ causing the pneumonia and the judgment of the doctor. Its best to do everything we can to prevent pneumonia, but if one do get sick, recognizing and treating the disease early offers the best chance for a full recovery. A case with a diagnosis of Pneumonia may catch ones attention, though the disease is just like an ordinary cough and fever, it can lead to death especially when no intervention or care is done. Since the case is a toddler, an appropriate care has to be done to make the patients recovery faster. Treating patients with pneumonia is necessary to prevent its spread to others and make them as another victim of this illness. ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY The lungs constitute the largest organ in the respiratory system. They play an important role in respiration, or the process of providing the body with oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. The lungs expand and contract up to 20 times per minute taking in and disposing of those gases. Air that is breathed in is filled with oxygen and goes to the trachea, which branches off into one of two bronchi. Each bronchus enters a lung. There are two lungs, one on each side of the breastbone and protected by the ribs. Each lung is made up of lobes, or sections. There are three lobes in the right lung and two lobes in the left one. The lungs are cone shaped and made of elastic, spongy tissue. Within the lungs, the bronchi branch out into minute pathways that go through the lung tissue. The pathways are called bronchioles, and they end at microscopic air sacs called alveoli. The alveoli are surrounded by capillaries and provide oxygen for the blood in these vessels. The oxygenated blood is then pumped by the heart throughout the body. The alveoli also take in carbon dioxide, which is then exhaled from the body. Inhaling is due to contractions of the diaphragm and of muscles between the ribs. Exhaling results from relaxation of those muscles. Each lung is surrounded by a two-layered membrane, or the pleura, that under normal circumstances has a very, very small amount of fluid between the layers. The fluid allows the membranes to easily slide over each other during breathing. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY

Pneumonia is a serious infection or inflammation of your lungs. The air sacs in the lungs fill with pus and other liquid. Oxygen has trouble reaching your blood. If there is too little oxygen in your blood, your body cells cant work properly. Because of this and spreading infection through the body pneumonia can cause death. Pneumonia affects your lungs in two ways. Lobar pneumonia affects a section (lobe) of a lung. Bronchial pneumonia (or bronchopneumonia) affects patches throughout both lungs. Bacteria are the most common cause of pneumonia. Of these, Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common. Other pathogens include anaerobic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, C. psittaci, C. trachomatis, Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis, Legionella pneumophila, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and other gramnegative bacilli. Major pulmonary pathogens in infants and children are viruses: respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, and influenza A and B viruses. Among other agents are higher bacteria including Nocardia and Actinomyces sp; mycobacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and atypical strains; fungi, including Histoplasma capsulatum, Coccidioides immitis, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Pneumocystis carinii; and rickettsiae, primarily Coxiella burnetii (Q fever). The usual mechanisms of spread are inhaling droplets small enough to reach the alveoli and aspirating secretions from the upper airways. Other means include hematogenous or lymphatic dissemination and direct spread from contiguous infections. Predisposing factors include upper respiratory viral infections, alcoholism, institutionalization, cigarette smoking, heart failure, chronic obstructive airway disease, age extremes, debility, immunocompromise (as in diabetes mellitus and chronic renal failure), compromised consciousness, dysphagia, and exposure to transmissible agents. Typical symptoms include cough, fever, and sputum production, usually developing over days and sometimes accompanied by pleurisy. Physical examination may detect tachypnea and signs of consolidation, such as crackles with bronchial breath sounds. This syndrome is commonly caused by bacteria, such as S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae.