THE chest is the area of the body between the neck (neck) and the abdomen. The thorax contains and protects essential organs such as the lungs, heart and great vessels and contributes to the basic function of breathing. On each side of the chest, there is a lung. Each lung has a number of sections called lobes. The right lung has three lobes and the left two. Each lobe is further divided into sections. When you inhale through the nose or mouth, air passes through the trachea, which then divides into two airways (bronchi) one that goes to each lung. These airways then divide into smaller airways (bronchioles) that end in tiny air sacs called alveoli. You can imagine that these are like a bunch of grapes on a branch. Inside the tiny air sacs, oxygen enters the bloodstream and waste gases (carbon dioxide) leave.

What is the chest wall?

The chest wall surrounds the lungs providing protection and support for breathing. The chest wall consists of: the pleura, the spine, the sternum and myou The diaphragm is a muscle that sits below the lungs and separates them from the abdomen. The ribs sit around the sides and top of the lungs and are connected to each other by small muscles. The ribs also attach to the spine, in the back, and the sternum in front. The diaphragm and small muscles between the ribs produce the movements of breathing. The large muscles are located at the top of the ribs and produce the movements of the shoulder. You can easily see the big muscles in yourself. The main nerves and blood vessels in your arms are behind the collarbone and in the armpit.

What is the mediastinum?

The central part of the chest, which contains the heart, is called the mediastinum. There are, however, other organs in the mediastinum that may be less familiar.

• The large blood vessels leading to and from the heart (aorta, pulmonary blood vessels, and vena cava)
• Trachea and 2 main airways (trachea, left and right main bronchus)
• Esophagus
• Lymph nodes
• Thymus gland – this gland is part of the immune system, it turns into fatty tissue as we age
• The thyroid gland can reach the mediastinum if it is enlarged
• nerves – have many different functions, some important functions include moving the vocal cords and moving the diaphragm

What is the pleura?

The entire lung is covered by a thin film-like layer called the pleura. The inner surfaces of the ribs are also covered by pleura. The pleura can be removed from the inside of the chest wall. There is usually a small amount of fluid between the two layers that helps the lungs move smoothly in the chest when they inflate and deflate as you breathe. The space between the two layers of the pleura is called the pleural space.