In: Nursing
The exchange of air between the lungs and the atmosphere thereby oxygen bis exchanged with carbon dioxide in the alveoli. Perfusion is the passage of fluid or any blood substitute through circulatory system or a tissue. In other words ventilation is the air that reaches the alveoli and perfusion is the blood that reaches the alveoli through capillaries.
An area with perfusion but there is no ventilation is known as shunt. In a right Anto left shunt a portion of pulmonary blood is shunted away from alveoli results in low V/Q ratio. The area with ventilation but no perfusion is known as dead space. Alveolar dead space occurs when alveoli not perfused, results in high V/Q ratio. The ventilation ratio is the ratio used to assess the efficiency and adequancy of 2 variables which means balance between ventilation and perfusion.