Perfusion is defined as the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues and removal of wastes.

• A. Circulation
• B. Oxygenation
• C. Perfusion
• D. Metabolism

Answer: (C)

Perfusion is the tissue-level delivery of oxygen and nutrients and the removal of wastes. It describes how well blood reaches the capillaries to support cellular exchange. While circulation is the overall movement of blood through the heart and vessels, perfusion focuses on the actual delivery to tissues and the exchange that follows. Oxygenation, on the other hand, refers to the oxygen content in the blood (and its loading/unloading to tissues), not the act of delivering blood to the tissues. Metabolism is the cellular use of nutrients to produce energy, which depends on adequate perfusion but is a separate process.