Monday Apr 28, 2025

Alveolar-Arterial (Aa) Gradient Basics - Definition, Equations, Physiology, Use | Clinical Medicine

In this podcast we dive into the Alveolar-arterial gradient or the Aa Gradient. We start by explaining what exactly it is in terms that make sense. We then dive into the math and equations to calculate the gradient. We explain the math as related to the physiology to better understand it. We then go into a normal Aa Gradient versus an abnormal gradient and the differential diagnosis for each.

The Aa Gradient is the difference between the alveolar oxygen content and the arterial oxygen content. It is a measure of whether you are having trouble diffusing oxygen across your alveoli into the blood vessels and/or not perfusing or getting blood flow to the alveoli, versus not ventilating or breathing enough oxygen into the alveoli. It can help you differentiate between different causes of hypoxia, or low oxygen levels in the blood.

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