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Ventilation–perfusion coupling is the relationship between ventilation and perfusion processes, which take place in the respiratory system and the cardiovascular system. [1] Ventilation is the movement of gas during breathing, and perfusion is the process of pulmonary blood circulation , which delivers oxygen to body tissues. [ 2 ]
In respiratory physiology, the ventilation/perfusion ratio (V/Q ratio) is a ratio used to assess the efficiency and adequacy of the ventilation-perfusion coupling and thus the matching of two variables: V – ventilation – the air that reaches the alveoli; Q – perfusion – the blood that reaches the alveoli via the capillaries
The ventilation/perfusion ratio (V/Q 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) because perfusion is nearly absent. However, ventilation and perfusion are highest in base of the lung, resulting in a comparatively lower V/Q ratio.
The control of ventilation is the physiological mechanisms involved in the control of breathing, which is the movement of air into and out of the lungs. Ventilation facilitates respiration. Respiration refers to the utilization of oxygen and balancing of carbon dioxide by the body as a whole, or by individual cells in cellular respiration. [1]
Exchange of gases in the lung occurs by ventilation and perfusion. [1] Ventilation refers to the in-and-out movement of air of the lungs and perfusion is the circulation of blood in the pulmonary capillaries. [1] In mammals, physiological respiration involves respiratory cycles of inhaled and exhaled breaths.
By redirecting blood flow from poorly-ventilated lung regions to well-ventilated lung regions, HPV is thought to be the primary mechanism underlying ventilation/perfusion matching. [1] [2] The process might initially seem counterintuitive, as low oxygen levels might theoretically stimulate increased blood flow to the lungs to increase gas exchange.
A decrease in perfusion relative to ventilation (as occurs in pulmonary embolism, for example) is an example of increased dead space. [12] Dead space is a space where gas exchange does not take place, such as the trachea; it is ventilation without perfusion. A pathological example of dead zone would be a capillary blocked by an embolus.
A ventilation/perfusion lung scan, also called a V/Q lung scan, or ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy, is a type of medical imaging using scintigraphy and medical isotopes to evaluate the circulation of air and blood within a patient's lungs, [1] [2] in order to determine the ventilation/perfusion ratio.