Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Book

Atelectasis (Nursing)

Kelly Grott  1 , Shaylika Chauhan  2 , Devang K. Sanghavi  3 , Julie D. Dunlap, Shelley Lee  4
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
Affiliations
Free Books & Documents
Book

Atelectasis (Nursing)

Kelly Grott et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

The word "atelectasis" is Greek in origin; It is a combination of the Greek words atelez (ateles) and ektasiz (ektasis) meaning "imperfect" and "expansion". It results from the partial or complete, reversible collapse of the small airways leading to an impaired exchange of CO2 and O2. The incidence of atelectasis in patients undergoing general anesthesia is 90%.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Kelly Grott declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Shaylika Chauhan declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Devang Sanghavi declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Julie Dunlap declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Shelley Lee declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Lundquist H, Hedenstierna G, Strandberg A, Tokics L, Brismar B. CT-assessment of dependent lung densities in man during general anaesthesia. Acta Radiol. 1995 Nov;36(6):626-32. - PubMed
    1. Peroni DG, Boner AL. Atelectasis: mechanisms, diagnosis and management. Paediatr Respir Rev. 2000 Sep;1(3):274-8. - PubMed
    1. Zeng C, Lagier D, Lee JW, Vidal Melo MF. Perioperative Pulmonary Atelectasis: Part I. Biology and Mechanisms. Anesthesiology. 2022 Jan 01;136(1):181-205. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Magnusson L, Spahn DR. New concepts of atelectasis during general anaesthesia. Br J Anaesth. 2003 Jul;91(1):61-72. - PubMed
    1. Gunnarsson L, Tokics L, Gustavsson H, Hedenstierna G. Influence of age on atelectasis formation and gas exchange impairment during general anaesthesia. Br J Anaesth. 1991 Apr;66(4):423-32. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources