What is atelectasis?

What is atelectasis?

The lungs are a pair of organs in your chest that take in air to deliver oxygen to your body. Atelectasis (pronounced at-uh-LEK-tuh-sis) is the term for a collapse of one or more areas in the lung.

When you breathe in, your lungs fill up with air. This air travels to air sacs in your lungs (alveoli), where the oxygen moves into your blood. The blood delivers the oxygen to organs and tissues throughout your body.

When air sacs become deflated because of atelectasis, they cannot inflate properly or take in enough air and oxygen. If enough of the lung is affected, your blood may not receive enough oxygen, which can cause health problems.

Atelectasis often develops after surgery. It is not typically life-threatening, but in some cases, it needs to be treated quickly.