ABSTRACT
The pulmonary system is the body’s gateway for exchange of gasses, principally oxygen and carbon dioxide. This critical function is essential to maintain the vital processes that enable the body to carry out its many functions. An understanding of the various derangements that may alter normal lung function is mandatory for the surgeon involved in the care of seriously ill patients. This chapter reviews the normal physiology of the pulmonary system and how aberrations from the norm present in surgically relevant lung disease.
