Anatomical shunt occurs when the arterial blood returns to the pulmonary veins without passing through the pulmonary capillaries. They are the anatomical shunt and capillary shunt. Generally, pulmonary shunt can occur in two ways.

Shunt or pulmonary shunt is one of the two contributors to the ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) mismatch. – Comparison of Key Differences Key TermsĪlveolar Dead Space, Alveoli, Capillary Shunt, Dead Space, Gas Exchange, Perfusion, Shunt What is the Difference Between Shunt and Dead Space What are the Similarities Between Shunt and Dead SpaceĤ. – Definition, Characteristics, Importanceģ. Moreover, they are examples of the ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) mismatch. Shunt and dead space are two conditions of lungs, resulting in impaired gas exchange. Pulmonary embolism (PE) is an example of increased dead space resulted in decreasing perfusion relative to ventilation. For example, in pneumonia, the area of the alveoli is well perfused although it is not well ventilated, leading to the shunt. The main difference between the shunt and dead space is that shunt is the pathological condition in which the alveoli are perfused but not ventilated, whereas dead space is the physiological condition in which the alveoli are ventilated but not perfused.

Alveolar dead space