| air sac | <zoology> Thin-walled sacs or spaces which function as a part of the respiratory system in birds, fishes, insects, and mammals. The sacs are filled with air and connected with the air passages of the lungs; an air cell. Source: Websters Dictionary (04 Jul 1999) |
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| air splint | A plastic splint inflated by air used to immobilise part or all of an extremity. Synonym: inflatable splint. (05 Mar 2000) |
| air syringe | A tapered metal tube through which air is forced from a rubber bulb or pressure tank to blow debris from, or to dry, a cavity in preparing teeth for restoration. Synonym: air syringe. (05 Mar 2000) |
| air thermometer | See: gas thermometer. (05 Mar 2000) |
| air tube | The trachea, or a bronchus or any of its branches conveying air to the lungs. (05 Mar 2000) |
| air vesicles | One of the thin-walled saclike terminal dilations of the respiratory bronchioles, alveolar ducts, and alveolar sacs across which gas exchange occurs between alveolar air and the pulmonary capillaries. Synonym: alveoli pulmonis, alveolus, air cells, air vesicles, bronchic cells. (05 Mar 2000) |
| air vessel | A vessel, cell, duct, or tube containing or conducting air; as the air vessels of insects, birds, plants, etc.; the air vessel of a pump, engine, etc. For the latter, see Air chamber. The air vessels of insects are called tracheae, of plants spiral vessels. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| alveolar air | The gas in the pulmonary alveoli, where O2-CO2 exchange with pulmonary capillary blood occurs. Synonym: alveolar air. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ambient air quality | The condition of the air in the surrounding environment. (05 Dec 1998) |
| anterior ethmoidal air cells | The anterior group of air cells of the ethmoidal sinus's; each sinus communicates with the middle meatus of the nasal cavity. Synonym: sinus ethmoidales anteriores, anterior cells, anterior sinuses, cellulae anteriores. (05 Mar 2000) |
| blood-air barrier | The barrier between capillary blood and alveolar air comprising the alveolar epithelium and capillary endothelium with their adherent basement membranes and epithelial cell cytoplasm. Gaseous exchange occurs across this membrane. (12 Dec 1998) |
| mastoid air cells | Numerous small intercommunicating cavities in the mastoid process of the temporal bone that empty into the mastoid or tympanic antrum. Synonym: cellulae mastoideae, mastoid cells, mastoid sinuses. (05 Mar 2000) |
| vitiated air | Air containing a reduced percentage of oxygen. (05 Mar 2000) |
| reserve air | The extra volume of air that can be expired with maximum effort beyond the level reached at the end of a normal, quiet expiration. Common abbreviation is erv. (12 Dec 1998) |
| residual air | The volume of air remaining in the lungs at the end of a maximal expiration. Common abbreviation is rv. (12 Dec 1998) |