However, differences in the exact way of measuring this space result in clinically significant different results and, therefore, debate remains about the true value of this measured parameter.Ĭopyright © 2023, StatPearls Publishing LLC. Indeed, it may serve as a prognostic factor in patients with acute repository distress syndrome (ARDS) who require ventilation.

This phenomenon has clinical significance because, both in healthy and impaired lungs, properly calculating and accounting for this non-physiological space is important for the proper respiratory care of ventilated patients. This is therefore termed anatomical dead space as it serves no respiratory function. Anatomical dead space is the volume of the conducting airways (from the nose, mouth and trachea to the terminal bronchioles).

Anatomic dead space is the total volume of the conducting airways from the nose or mouth down to the level of the terminal bronchioles, and is about 150 ml on the. There are two different ways to define dead space- anatomic and physiologic. The anatomic dead space fills with inspired air at the end of each inspiration, but this air is exhaled unchanged.

Anatomic dead space is an important phenomenon in respiratory physiology whereby, owing to the fact that upper airways do not function as locations for gas exchange, and because of the tidal nature of ventilation, there is always a fraction of the inspired air that does not perform a physiologic function of exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen. Dead space is the portion of each tidal volume that does not take part in gas exchange. Anatomic dead space is the total volume of the conducting airways from the nose or mouth down to the level of the terminal bronchioles, and is about 150 ml on the average in humans.

Anatomical dead space contains