The chest It is the upper segment of the trunk, it has the shape of a pyramid with an upper vertex and a lower base, it is delimited by the sternum forward, the vertebral column back and the ribs to the sides. In its upper part it is related to the neck, while in the lower part it is separated from the abdomen by the diaphragm muscle.
It is delimited by the ribs, a set of arch-shaped bones that go from the dorsal spine to the sternum, forming a box-shaped structure that has the function of providing protection to the structures that are located inside, as well as giving support for the insertion of muscles related to the breathing process.
The chest provides protection to vital organs
The most important organ within the thorax is the heart accompanied by large blood vessels, occupying the middle or mediastinum that is located between the two lungs. The heart is covered by a membrane called the pericardium that isolates it from neighboring structures.
The chest provides a framework that protects this important and vulnerable part of the circulatory system, since any traumatic injury to these structures is capable of causing death.
Other important structures located in the thorax are the lungs, located on both sides of the heart, the esophagus that this is arranged behind the heart and in front of the spinal column, as well as nervous routes of the sympathetic and parasympathetic system, lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes and the vestiges of a gland of the endocrine system called scam which usually atrophies in adulthood.
The structure of the chest is necessary for respiration to occur
The lungs for their part are arranged on both sides of the heart on the diaphragm, covered by a membrane called the pleura that has two leaves, a visceral that covers the lungs and another parietal that adheres to the inner face of the thoracic wall formed by muscles and ribs. Every time the chest expands, the lungs are "stretched" allowing air to enter.
The intercostal muscles that are arranged between the ribs next to the diaphragm allow the chest to expand, generating a negative pressure that facilitates the entry of air into the lungs in a process called inspiration, when these are relaxed the opposite process is favored, expiration, in the that the air leaves the lungs to the outside.
Photos: iStock - oceandigital / Eraxion
