A depressed person attempts to commit suicide by taking a whole bottle of sleepi

Question

A depressed person attempts to commit suicide by taking a whole bottle of sleeping pills. The pills cause a drastic decrease in the pH. The patient starts having breathing difficulties because the thick and thin filaments within the respiratory muscles are breaking down. Explain in depth the correlation between the person’s pH and why their respiratory muscles are breaking down. Provide details in your explanation and support your answer with facts from your textbook, research, and articles from scholarly journals. Remember to add references in APA format at the end of your post to avoid plagiarism.

Explanation / Answer

High pH of the trachea leads to difficulty in the expiration/exhalation process.

When a person inhales air, the air goes through the respiratory tract into the alveoli. In the inspired air, partial pressure of oxygen is high, while it is low in the blood vessels (arteries). So, oxygen moves from a region of high partial pressure (alveoli) to a region of low partial pressure (arteries).

In the expired air, partial pressure of carbon-dioxide is high in the blood vessels (veins) while it is low in the alveoli and trachea. So, CO2 moves from a region of high partial pressure (veins) to a region of low partial pressure (alveoli).

Now, in the given case, due to eating of sleeping pills, the acidity of trachea has already increased. This increases the partial pressure of CO2 in the trachea; which is now unable to come outside. Note that pCO2 of trachea reaches >>45mmHg during respiratory acidosis. This causes break down of the respiratory wall.

The acidic environment also inhibits the mucus and its action in trachea.

**Note: APA against chegg guidelines.

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