Atelectasis (/ËÃ¦táµ»ËlÉktÉsáµ»s/ uses combining forms of atel- + ectasis, from Greek: á¼ÏÎµÎ»Î®Ï, incomplete + á¼ÎºÏÎ±ÏÎ¹Ï, extension) is the collapse or closure of a lung resulting in reduced or absent gas exchange.
A single capillary is so small that it allows only one blood cell to flow through it at a time. The capillary walls are also very small, only one cell thick. These thin walls easily allow water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other nutrient and waste substances to exchange between blood cells and the surrounding tissue.
Capillaries are so small that red blood cells can only travel through them in single file. Capillaries measure in size from about 5-10 microns in diameter. Capillary walls are thin and are composed of endothelium (a type of simple squamous epithelial tissue). Oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and wastes are exchanged through the thin walls of the capillaries.