Alveolar pressure : The pressure of the air inside the lung alveoli Alveolar ventilation : The rate at which new air reaches the alveoli, alveolar sacs, alveolar ducts, and respiratory bronchioles Compliance : Stretchability of the lung tissue Intrapleural pressure : The pressure of the fluid in the thin space between the lung pleura and the chest wall pleura Mediastinum : The region in the thoracic cavity between the two pleural sacs containing the heart,trachea and other viscera other than the lungs Surfactant : A complex mixture of several phospholipids, proteins and ions that is present on the inner surface of the alveoli and helps in reducing the surface tension Transpulmonary pressure : The difference between alveolar pressure and the intrapleural pressure
