diana_robinson via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Giraffe’s unique breathing mechanisms inspired, unknowingly, the recent advances in intensive care.
According to the ingenious solutions of nature often precede human innovation, as exemplified by the remarkable respiratory adaptations of the giraffe.
With a neck of 2 meters long, the Giraffe needs to strive a lot just to breathe. Each time the air is moved up and down in the trachea, between the mouth and the lungs, it is a wasted effort.
This is because the movement is done through the so -called dead space – The connection tubes that do not participate in gas exchange.
The same problem affects patients who use Life Support Machines or Fanespecially those suffering from asthma. In recent years, we now know what adjustments to make in the fan and tubes to help reduce this wasted effort.
However, if we looked at the way they breathe them, we could have realized it long before.
Giraffes breathe deeply and slowly to combat the dead space in their tremendously long trachea. Also reduced the diameter of the tubes, as we do in the intensive care unit to Reduce the amount of dead space occupied by each breath.
From ant pandemic tactics and the digestive wisdom of koalas to frog -based life support systems, which explores the way the animal kingdom shapes human health care.
Teresa Oliveira Campos, Zap //
