If the input voltage is lower than the nominal output voltage plus the specified dropout voltage, but all other conditions are met for normal operation, the device operates in dropout mode. In this mode of operation, the output voltage is the same as the input voltage minus the dropout voltage. The transient performance of the device is significantly degraded because the pass device (such as a bipolar junction transistor, or BJT) is in saturation and no longer controls the current through the LDO. Line or load transients in dropout can result in large output voltage deviations.