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.
The arterioles then divide further into capillaries. Capillaries are the smallest blood vessels and their walls are only one cell thick which allows diffusion between the blood and cells to occur. Nutrients and oxygen from the blood diffuses through the capillary walls into the tissues that need it. This is aided by the relatively high blood pressure that also squeezes the oxygen and nutrients through the capillary wall and into the cells of the tissue.