Key Terms
- airways
- passageways through which gases move to and from the lungs
- atelectasis
- the collapse of the alveoli
- auscultation
- listening with a stethoscope for normal breath sounds, abnormal sounds, and voice sounds
- crepitus
- air trapped in and under the skin, typically felt as crackling
- dyspnea
- difficulty breathing, or breathlessness
- fremitus
- a vibration in the chest wall as the client speaks
- gas exchange
- oxygen being transported to the cells and carbon dioxide being transported away from the cells
- Mallampati score
- an airway assessment scale to classify the visibility of the oropharyngeal structures
- orthopnea
- shortness of breath that occurs when lying down and is relieved by sitting up
- pack-years
- the number of cigarettes or other smoke packs smoked per day multiplied by number of years smoked
- percussion
- a systematic tapping over the intercostal spaces, moving through the anterior, lateral, and posterior thorax
- perfusion
- the process of the arterial blood moving through tissues throughout the entire body
- respiratory diffusion
- occurs when gases move down the concentration gradient across the alveolar sacs and capillaries
- surfactant
- a fatty protein that lines the alveoli and reduces surface tension
- ventilation
- the movement of atmospheric air that is higher in oxygen into the lungs and removal of carbon dioxide