Ventilation (physiology)
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- For other uses, see Ventilation.
In respiratory physiology, ventilation is the rate at which gas enters or leaves the lung. It is categorised under the following definitions:
- Minute ventilation is the total volume of gas entering the lungs per minute.
- Alveolar ventilation is the volume of gas per unit time that reaches the alveoli, the respiratory portions of the lungs where gas exchange occurs.
- Dead space ventilation is the volume of gas per unit time that does not reach these respiratory portions, but instead remains in the airways (trachea, bronchi, etc.).