atelectasis

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Atelectasis is a medical term that refers to a condition where part or all of a lung collapses or does not inflate properly. This can happen in different situations, especially in newborns or people who have certain medical problems.

Explanation:

• Basic Definition: Atelectasis is when the lung is not fully expanded, making it hard for a person to breathe properly.
• Example: "The doctor said that the baby has atelectasis, which means one of the lungs is not fully working."

Usage Instructions:

• Part of Speech: Atelectasis is a noun.
• How to Use: You can use it in a sentence to describe a medical condition related to the lungs. It is often used in medical contexts.

Advanced Usage:

• In a medical report: "The patient exhibited signs of atelectasis post-surgery, which necessitated further respiratory therapy."
• In research: "Recent studies have shown that atelectasis can occur due to prolonged immobility."

Word Variants:

• Atelectatic (adjective): This describes something relating to or affected by atelectasis. For example, "The atelectatic lung was observed in the X-ray."

Different Meanings:

• In general language, "atelectasis" is almost exclusively used in medical contexts, so it does not have many different meanings outside of health care.

Synonyms:

• Lung collapse
• Pulmonary collapse (Note: These synonyms are more general terms and not used as frequently in medical settings.)

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

There are no common idioms or phrasal verbs specifically related to "atelectasis," as it is a specialized medical term.

Conclusion:

Atelectasis is an important term in medicine, especially in discussions about lung health.

Academic

Noun

1. collapse of an expanded lung (especially in infants); also failure of pulmonary alveoli to expand at birth