Atelectasis

Topic: Medical-surgical

Collapse of alveoli or of a lung segment or lobe, so that part of the lung is not ventilated. It is common after surgery, when pain, sedation and immobility lead to shallow breathing and retained secretions, and it also occurs with airway obstruction. Reduced breath sounds, crackles over the area, tachypnea and falling oxygen saturation are typical; large areas cause hypoxemia. Prevention is a core postoperative nursing task: coach deep breathing, coughing and incentive spirometry, give adequate pain relief, turn the client and get them out of bed early.

In Turkish:

Atelektazi