![]() Is atelectasis a shunt or dead space Other causes include pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypotension. This can explain the severity of hypoxemia, which cannot be corrected with oxygen administration. It is caused by increased pressure in the right atrium. These are two separate camps you need to separate in your mind.Īnd to confirm, PE will lead to hyperventilation and respiratory alkalosis, with a compensatory metabolic acidosis. A right-to-left shunt can be observed in the acute phase of massive pulmonary embolism. Giving O2 will not work here.Ī shunt is not a VQ mismatch. Transposition of the great vessels is a shunt. Another memory hook here is.theres a reason you do a “VQ scan for a pulmonaryĪnatomical dead spacing on the other hand is a ventilation issue. Your lungs can dilate other arteries to make up for the deficient flow sections and absorb more O2 from other areas. In PE, the problem is that there is a blood clot (or air/fat embolus) that is blocking blood flow. The fact that O2 works proves it is a perfusion issue (you are optimizing the thing that still works.ventilation). If it was a ventilation issue, how would adding more O2 ‘ventilating’ so to speak work? It wouldn't. You can make a memory hook into thinking that there has to be a reason you'd see a PE patient in the ER getting O2 (its not for theatrics).Īnd it's because it's a perfusion issue.
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