 |
Definition: the presence of material that impairs the diffusion of gases between the air in the alveolar spaces and the blood in alveolar capillaries; block can be caused by edema, cellular infiltration, fibrosis, or tumor, and results in undersaturation of peripheral arterial blood with oxygen.
Drugs.com provides accurate and independent information on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines & natural products. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not to be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Data sources include Micromedex™ (updated Jan 27th, 2011), Cerner Multum™ (updated Jan 3rd, 2012), Wolters Kluwer™ (updated Jan 31st, 2012) and others.
To view content sources and attributions, refer to our editorial policy.
Copyright © 2000-2012 Drugs.com. All rights reserved.
We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information.
Verify here
