What it means
The job of the lungs. In the alveolusal-VEE-uh-lus (plural alveoli, al-VEE-uh-ly)One of the tiny air sacs at the ends of the smallest airways in the lungs.Full entry , oxygen passes across a very thin wall into the capillaryKAP-ih-lair-eeOne of the tiniest blood vessels, joining the smallest arteries to the smallest veins.Full entry and carbon dioxide passes out to be breathed away. The same swap happens in reverse in the body's tissues. Anything that thickens the wall, fills the air sacs with fluid or collapses them, or reduces blood flow to the lungs can impair it.
For the nurse
Impaired gas exchange shows in the oxygen saturation, arterial blood gases, skin color and mental status. A new confusion or restlessness can be an early sign of low oxygen.
At a glance
| Spanish | intercambio gaseoso |
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Related terms
oxygenation
The process of getting oxygen into the blood and delivering it to the body's tissues.
arterial blood gas
A blood test from an artery that measures oxygen, carbon dioxide, bicarbonate and the blood's pH.
alveolus
One of the tiny air sacs at the ends of the smallest airways in the lungs.
atelectasis
The collapse of part or all of a lung, in which the tiny air sacs close and hold no air.