| A | B |
|---|
| Thoracoscopy | Minimally invasive surgery of the thoracic cavity; also referred to as video-assisted thoracicoscopic surgery or VATS |
| Hemothorax | The presence of blood in the thoracic cavity or between the pleural sac and lungs, usually caused by trauma |
| Perfusion (oxygen) | the distribution of oxygen to tissues |
| Ventilation | The process of inflating and deflating the lungs during breathing |
| Dyspnea | Difficulty breathing |
| Hypoxia | Lower than normal oxygen perfusion |
| Pleur-Evac | The prototype of single-use, closed chest drainage systems, introduced in 1967 |
| Arterial blood gases (ABGs) | A blood test that determines carbon dioxide and oxygen saturation, pH, and other important parameters of respiration and oxygen perfusion |
| Expiration | The act of breathing out (exhalation) |
| Thoracotomy | Open chest surgrery in which the thoracic cavity is entered; literally an incision into the chest wall |
| Pleuritis | Inflamation of the pleural membrane, usually caused by an infection or a tumor |
| Blebs | Area of overdistention in the lung tissue |
| Inspiration | The act of taking a breath (inhalation) |
| Closed chest drainage | A system of removing air from the thoracic cavity and restoring negative pressure so that the lungs can expand properly after thoracic surgery or trauma to the chest wall |
| Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) | Tests performed to measure the function and strength of the pulmonary system |
| Valsalva maneuver | Voluntary closure of the epiglottis and contraction of the intraabdominal muscles, which results in increased thoracic pressure; action used during "breath holding" and "bearing down" |
| Diffusion | The molecular passage of oxygen across the alveoli and into the bloodstream |
| Hemoptysis | Bloody sputum or bleeding arising from the respiratory tract |
| Pneumothorax | Air in the chest cavity, which prevents the lungs from expanding and may displace the mediastinal structures |
| Empyema | A pus-filled area of the lung |
