What is epiglottis?

epiglottis is an anatomical structure that is designed to prevent animals from inhaling food or fluids while eating and swallowing. You could think of it as a lid or a flap that covers the trachea, and create a seal that will not allow anything but air to enter the trachea. This anatomical structure is very important because without it the organism would risk suffocation and cough every time he tried to eat.

You want to use an analogy that can be known to you, epiglottis is a lot like a toilet seat attached to the root of the tongue. During normal activities, it is left in the up position, allowing air to flow freely into the larynx and trachea. However, when the body begins to eat, epiglottis closes and covers the hole in the trachea. When the body is swallowed, the flap reappears to allow the body to breathe. The cartilage usually very stiff, but elastic cartilage consists of small bundles of extremely elastic fibers, which makes it flexible and robust. WhoIt is covered with mucous membranes, as in this structure, tissue is elastic cartilage sufficiently soft to form a tight seal, and sufficiently stiff to adhere to the swallowing.

Epiglottis movement is caused by the movements of the hyoid bone during swallowing, which means that organisms do not have to learn to move during swallowing because they are born with the ability to do so. Since the structure is not controlled by brain activity, it is also not dependent on nervous signals; It is basically as a mechanized part that does not require any actual maintenance by the user.

Sometimes epiglottis may become inflamed, in a situation known as epiglottitis. Inflammation causes the flap to increase, and this cpotentially be extremely dangerous because swollen tissue can inhibit breathing. Rapid treatment is required for such inflammation to ensure that the patient is able to breathe and in some cases will beSet be patient intubated to secure their airways until the cause of the swelling can be solved.