145 - Bringing Lung Anatomy to Life, Perspectives of a DPT Student Using a Novel Dissection Technique

Poster Board Number: 145
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Co-authors:

Philip Fabrizio - PCOM Georgia

Abstract Body : Introduction and Objectives: The acquisition of an anatomical understanding of the cardiopulmonary system is a cornerstone for an emerging clinician in Physical Therapy and a key practice pattern for the profession. The anatomy laboratory provides a unique opportunity for visualizing the cardiopulmonary organs and their relationships. However, typical anatomy dissection usually only allows for a static demonstration. The purpose of this study was to explore novel dissection techniques using embalmed and unembalmed lungs that would allow inflation, thereby providing greater insight into the function of the pulmonary system. This study explored the anatomical characteristics of embalmed and fresh tissue lung dissections from cadavers utilizing an en bloc dissection demonstrating respiratory tree and lungs thus allowing for inflation of the lungs.

Materials and Methods: The respiratory system, including lungs, secondary and tertiary bronchi, right and left primary bronchi, trachea, and posterior aspect of mouth and tongue of an embalmed and an unembalmed cadaver were extracted en bloc using fine and gross dissection techniques.

Results: The dissections yielded two prosections where the lungs were able to be inflated using a manual Ambu^® bag resuscitator. This allowed for a visual representation of lung inflation. Additionally, it was noted that the lung capacity of the fresh dissection compared to the embalmed lungs, appeared to demonstrate a greater expansion likely due to stiffening of the tissues following embalming.

Conclusions: Observation of the prosection allowed investigation of the organs of the thoracic cavity from a realistic perspective and enhanced the student’s understanding of gross lung function.

Significance: The laboratory component and the process of creating the prosections led to practical knowledge of body structure and the realistic visualization of the entire thoracic cage's body systems, emphasizing the respiratory, nervous, and global musculoskeletal systems. The dissection of the lungs coincided with the student’s cardiopulmonary course thereby allowing for solidification of concepts and development of abstract thinking towards current pathophysiology. For example, the student was better able to understand how different diseases affect the inflation of the lungs, which ultimately revealed the importance of being knowledgeable about the pathophysiology regarding physical therapy practice.