Oxygen diffusion across the air-blood barrier in the lung is commensurate with metabolic needs and ideally allows full equilibration between alveolar and blood partial oxygen pressures. We estimated the alveolo-capillary O2 equilibration in 18 healthy subjects at sea level at rest and after exposure to increased O2 demand, including work at sea level and on hypobaric hypoxia exposure at 3840 m (PA ~ 50 mmHg). For each subject we estimated O2 diffusion capacity (DO2), pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc) and cardiac output (Q̇). We derived blood capillary transit time (Tt=VcQ̇) and the time constant of the equilibration process (τ=βVcDO2, β being the slope of the hemoglobin dissociation curve). O2 equilibration at the arterial end of the pulmonary capillary was defined as Leq=e−Ttτ. Leq greately differed among subjects in the most demanding O2 condition (work in hypoxia): lack of full equilibration was found to range from 5 to 42% of the alveolo-capillary PO2 gradient at the venous end. The present analysis proves to be sensible enough to highlight inter-individual differences in alveolo-capillary equilibration among healthy subjects.

Beretta, E., Grasso, G., Forcaia, G., Sancini, G., Miserocchi, G. (2019). Differences in alveolo-capillary equilibration in healthy subjects on facing O2 demand. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 9(1) [10.1038/s41598-019-52679-4].

Differences in alveolo-capillary equilibration in healthy subjects on facing O2 demand

Beretta, Egidio
;
Forcaia, Greta;Sancini, Giulio;Miserocchi, Giuseppe
2019

Abstract

Oxygen diffusion across the air-blood barrier in the lung is commensurate with metabolic needs and ideally allows full equilibration between alveolar and blood partial oxygen pressures. We estimated the alveolo-capillary O2 equilibration in 18 healthy subjects at sea level at rest and after exposure to increased O2 demand, including work at sea level and on hypobaric hypoxia exposure at 3840 m (PA ~ 50 mmHg). For each subject we estimated O2 diffusion capacity (DO2), pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc) and cardiac output (Q̇). We derived blood capillary transit time (Tt=VcQ̇) and the time constant of the equilibration process (τ=βVcDO2, β being the slope of the hemoglobin dissociation curve). O2 equilibration at the arterial end of the pulmonary capillary was defined as Leq=e−Ttτ. Leq greately differed among subjects in the most demanding O2 condition (work in hypoxia): lack of full equilibration was found to range from 5 to 42% of the alveolo-capillary PO2 gradient at the venous end. The present analysis proves to be sensible enough to highlight inter-individual differences in alveolo-capillary equilibration among healthy subjects.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
alveolo-capillary; o2; pulmonary
English
2019
9
1
16693
open
Beretta, E., Grasso, G., Forcaia, G., Sancini, G., Miserocchi, G. (2019). Differences in alveolo-capillary equilibration in healthy subjects on facing O2 demand. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 9(1) [10.1038/s41598-019-52679-4].
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
s41598-019-52679-4.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia di allegato: Publisher’s Version (Version of Record, VoR)
Dimensione 1.41 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.41 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/249472
Citazioni
  • Scopus 6
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 6
Social impact