Anaesthesia Fundamentals | Physiology | Pulmonary Circulation

Pulmonary Circulation
Session Overview
Description
This session provides an insight into the anatomy, physiology and regulation of pulmonary blood flow and its uneven distribution.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Compare pulmonary vasculature to systemic circulation
• Describe the effects of gravity on the distribution of blood flow
• Explain the effect of hypoxic vasoconstriction on pulmonary perfusion and the ventilation-perfusion ratio

Knowledge of anatomy is critical to understanding the differences between pulmonary circulation and systemic circulation.

Fig 1a illustrates how the pulmonary circulation is intrinsically related to the lung.