Biology / Unit 13 Bio 3157 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Compliance and Resistance in the Lungs
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The idea
Lung compliance measures how easily lung tissue expands under pressure change, while airway resistance measures how much the airways themselves impede airflow; both jointly determine breathing effort.
In practice
Stiffened, low-compliance lung tissue requires more pressure change to achieve the same inhaled volume.
Where people slip
Low compliance and high resistance are distinct problems with different causes, even though both increase breathing effort.
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