Which of the following shunts compose true shunts?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

True shunts in the context of pulmonary physiology refer to blood that bypasses the alveoli without participating in gas exchange. This includes anatomic shunts, which are congenital or acquired connections that allow blood to flow from the venous to the arterial side without passing through the lungs (e.g., ventricular septal defects), and capillary shunts, which occur when blood flows through pulmonary capillaries that are not involved in gas exchange due to alveolar collapse or filling (e.g., pneumonia, atelectasis).

Which of the Following Shunts Compose True Shunts