title: Respiratory monitoring in critical care.
abstract: The assessment of pulmonary function, from a clinical perspective, can be performed accurately only if the clinician understands the concept ventilation/perfusion ratios of the lung. The major categories of ventilation/perfusion ratios are intrapulmonary shunting and physiologic deadspace. Virtually all pulmonary assessments and interventions are aimed to address Qs/Qt or Vd/Vt. This chapter provides background information useful to the clinician in the assessment of intrapulmonary shunting and deadspace analysis. From this information, more thorough assessments of pulmonary function are possible.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ahrens
mesh_terms: D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D001785:Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous; D003422:Critical Care; D006801:Humans; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000451:nursing; D010092:Oximetry; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests / Q000451:nursing; D014692:Ventilation-Perfusion Ratio