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 very thin blood vessels that were first described in frog lungs in 1661. They bring nutrients and oxygen to tissues and remove waste products.