What will result from applying positive pressure below the critical opening pressure to alveoli that are collapsed?

A. The patient's hypoxemia may be corrected.
B. The collapsed alveoli become overdistended.
C. The lung's pressure-volume relationship changes sharply.
D. Ventilation fails to enter these alveoli.


?ANS: D
A. Incorrect response: Perfusion will continue past collapsed alveoli.
B. Incorrect response: The collapsed alveoli do not inflate at all when the critical opening pressure is not achieved.
C. Incorrect response: The lung's pressure-volume curve remains flat because volume does not change as no gas enters these alveoli.
D. Correct response: Because the critical opening pressure is not reached, these alveoli fail to open, and ventilation continues to be absent while perfusion persists. Consequently, the patient's hypoxemia remains uncorrected.

Health Professions

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