What Is Hypoventilation?
Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky
1. Ventilation
Enjoying a deep drag of air is actually partaking of a biological activity that is facilitated by the inner workings of your lungs. As you breathe in, you pull oxygen-rich air into your lungs. At the same time, blood that has circulated around the body is delivering carbon-dioxide rich blood to the same lungs. At the pulmonary capillary bed, an exchange takes place. Carbon dioxide is expelled and oxygen absorbed. When hypoventilation occurs, there is low absorption of oxygen that causes carbon dioxide to buildup in the blood. This is technically described as an elevated arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2).
