Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Zones of the lung
Introduction
The zones of the lung proposed by West in 1964,[1] divide the lung into three vertical regions, based upon the relationship between the pressure in the alveoli (PA), in the arteries (Pa), and the veins (Pv):
- #1: alveolar > arterial > venous
- #2: arterial > alveolar > venous
- #3: arterial > venous > alveolar
The ventilation/perfusion ratio is higher in zone #1 (the apex of lung when a person is standing) than it is in zone #3 (the base of lung.)
References
References
- ↑ West J, Dollery C, Naimark A. “Distribution of blood flow in isolated lung; relation to vascular and alveolar pressures”. J Appl Physiol. 19: 713–24. PMID 14195584.
External links
External links
- Essentials of Human Physiology by Thomas M. Nosek. Section 4/4ch4/s4ch4_28.
- Description at anaesthetist.com
- Animated diagram at sites.fasthosts.com
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]