Lungs with Emphysema
With emphysema, the air sacs (alveoli)
and small airways (bronchioles) are
damaged and lose their elasticity (if
you think of the air sacs as little
balloons, they are worn out and never
able to return to their normal size).
When you breathe out, stale air
becomes trapped inside the air sacs.
This makes it harder for fresh air
(oxygen) to come in and carbon
dioxide to go out. The blood vessels
around the air sacs are also damaged,
which prevents fresh air (oxygen) from
reaching the blood stream and carbon
dioxide from going out of the body.
