Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

resistance, antibiotic
See 
antibiotic resistance.
resistance, pulmonary
Opposition of the respi-
ratory system to air flow.
resistance, vascular
Opposition to the flow of
blood by a blood vessel.
resolution
In genetics, the degree of molecular
detail on a physical map of DNA. Resolution may
range from low to high.
resorb
To absorb again, to lose substance. For
example, some of a tooth may be resorbed.
resorption
The process of losing substance. For
example, when bone is surgically reshaped, it
undergoes both new formation and resorption.
respiration
The act of inhaling and exhaling air
in order to exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide.
respiratory
Having to do with respiration.
respiratory distress syndrome, acute
See
acute respiratory distress syndrome.
respiratory failure
Inability of the lungs to per-
form their basic task of gas exchange, the transfer of
oxygen from inhaled air into the blood and the
transfer of carbon dioxide from the blood into
exhaled air. Respiratory failure occurs because of
the failure of the exchange of oxygen and carbon
dioxide in tiny air sacs in the lung (alveoli), failure
of the brain centers that control breathing, or fail-
ure of the muscles required to expand the lungs that
can cause respiratory failure. Many different med-
ical conditions can lead to respiratory failure,
including asthma, emphysema, chronic obstructive
lung disease, surgery (on the abdomen, heart, or
lungs), overdose of sleeping pills or other depres-
sant drugs, premature birth, multiple physical
injuries (as in auto accidents), extensive burns,
muscle disease, nerve disease, profuse bleeding,
near drowning, heart failure, severe infection, and
extreme obesity.