Gas exchange in the lungs
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Gas exchange in the lungs
Illustration copyright 2000 by Nucleus Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.nucleusinc.com
In the lungs oxygen and carbon dioxide (a waste product of body processes) are exchanged in the tiny air sacs (alveoli) at the end of the bronchial tubes. The alveoli are surrounded by capillaries. When a person inhales, oxygen moves from the alveoli to the surrounding capillaries and into the bloodstream. At the same time, carbon dioxide moves from the bloodstream to the capillaries and into the alveoli. The carbon dioxide is removed from the lungs when a person exhales.
Credits
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Ken Y. Yoneda, MD - Pulmonology |
| Last Updated | May 8, 2008 |
| Last updated: | May 08, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Reviewed By: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Ken Y. Yoneda, MD - Pulmonology |
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