alleryStart learning →What happens to the fluid left in the lungs after delivery?
AIt is exhaled slowly over the first week
BIt is rapidly absorbed by the body
CIt stays and lubricates the pleurae
DIt is swallowed during the first feed
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. It is rapidly absorbed by the body
1. Compression of the thorax during delivery expels much of the lung fluid.
2. Some fluid still remains after that.
3. It is rapidly absorbed by the body shortly after birth.
4. Pleural fluid is a separate secretion made by mesothelial cells, so the third option confuses two different fluids.
_Source: OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology (CC BY 4.0), Ch 22 "The Respiratory System", section 22.7 Embryonic Development of the Respiratory System_
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