Dead Space & Gas Exchange

💨 Anatomical dead space (~150 mL) = air in conducting airways with no alveoli → no gas exchange

🔺 High V/Q (e.g., pulmonary embolism) = dead space ↑ → arterial CO₂ tension (PaCO₂) ↑ if ventilation fixed

🫁 O₂ more affected than CO₂ (CO₂ diffuses faster)

#DeepSeek #ChatGPT