Gas Diffusion

and
transportation

RAHMANINGSIH MARA SABIRIN

rahmasabirin@gmail.com
Respiratory cycle

1. Ventilation

2. External
4. Internal respiration
respiration

3. Transport
2. External respiration
Are all the entering gas will undergo exchange?
Dead space

Anatomical dead space Alveolar dead space

– Air volume which entering airway Air volume which reach gas
but do not reach the gas exchange area, but does
exchange area. not undergo diffusion.
FICK’s LAW OF DIFFUSION
Diffusion and respiratory function

– Gas exchange across respiratory membrane is efficient due

to:
A. Lipid-soluble gases
B. Large surface area of all alveoli
C. Differences in partial pressure
D. Small diffusion distance
E. Coordination of blood flow and airflow
A. Solubility of Gases in body temperature

– O2 = 0.024
– CO2 = 0.57 (20x more soluble than O2) 
Less gradient pressure needed to diffuse
the same amount of gas.
– CO = 0.018
– N2 = 0.012
– He = 0.008
Henry’s Law

– the quantity of a gas that will dissolve in a liquid is proportional

to the partial pressure of the gas and its solubility.
– Quantity of gas = P x k
Ex: if the partial pressure of each gas is 100 mmHg, how
much O2 or CO2 dissolve in a liquid?
O2 = 100 x 0.024 = 2.4
CO2 = 100 x 0.57 = 57
– Oxygen = 60 x 0.024 = 1.44
– Carbondioxyde= 5 x 0.57 = 2.85
B. Total surface area (A): 70 m2

– Decrease in:
–Removal of lung
–Destruction of alveoli wall (ex: emphysema)
C. Partial pressure

• Diffusion of the gas will occur from the high-concentration area

toward the low-concentration area

• The rate of diffusion of each of these gases is directly proportional to

the pressure caused by that gas alone

• The total pressure of this mixture gas = 760 mm Hg.

Nitrogen = 79%  PN2 = 600 mmHg
Oxygen = 21%  PO2 = 160 mm Hg
 D. Respiratory Membrane
– Layers: (D)

Overall thickness: 0.2µm (average: 0.6 µm)

Increase in edema and fibrosis

Increase in:
• Oedema
• Fibrosis
E. Coordination of blood flow and airflow

– Every ventilation always need perfussion

– VENTILATION :
The air that reach the alveoli
– PERFUSION :
The blood that reaches the alveoli via the
capillaries
– Ventilation/perfusion ratio (V/Q):
The ratio of alveolar ventilation to pulmonary
blood flow per minute.
E. V/Q ratio

– Normal= 8:10.
– Ventilation without perfussion, VA/Q =
infinite  alveolar dead space
– Perfussion without ventilation, VA/Q =
0  intrapulmonary shunt.
VENTILATION/PERFUSION RATIO

West JB, Respiratory Physiology, The Essentials, 8th ed. 2008,Lippincott, chapter 5, p. 55
Gas Exchange

– What happens when alveolar PO2 drops?

– Solubility rules indicate that
– If PO2 drops, then the amount dissolved in blood also drops
– Creating a hypoxic condition
– Hypoxic hypoxia : low arterial PO2
– Ischemic hypoxia : reduction in blood flow
– Anemic hypoxia : decrease total O2 bound to Hb
– Histotoxic hypoxia : cells can not use O2
Hypoxic HYPOXIA
Caused by:

– Not enough O2 in alveoli

– Villages at Mt Merapi (1.700 m above Yogyakarta) where atmospheric pressure ~ 628 mm Hg

– PO2 then must be 132 mm Hg, instead of the 160 mm Hg

– A 17.5% decrease in available oxygen in the blood

– At top of Mt. Everest (8.848 meter above Yogyakarta) have Atmospheric pressure ~ 225 mm Hg

– PO2 then must be 47.25 mm Hg

– A nearly 71% decrease in available oxygen in the blood

– To compensate ventilations increase.
Hypoxic HYPOXIA

– Reduction of gas diffusion rate.

– Alveolar air is normal but the exchange isn’t
– Caused by
– Less surface area for exchange (b)
– Increased thickness of alveolar
membrane (c)
– Increased distance between alveolar membrane and
capillary membrane (d)
Ischemic or stagnant Hypoxia

– Insufficient oxygen reaches the tissue due to reduces blood flow

– Systemic or local
3. Oxygen Transport in the Blood

– 2% in plasma
– Determine partial pressure O2
arterial (PaO2)
– 98% in hemoglobin (Hb)
 Percent hemoglobin saturation

The extent to which the Hb present is combined with O2

Normally in the arteries >96%

50% saturated Deoxyhemoglobin

Fully saturated
(100%) ↓
> 5mg/ dL  Cyanosis
 OXYGEN TRANSPORT:
DISSOCIATION OF OXY-HAEMOGLOBINE CURVE
Significance of Sigmoid
Flat upper portions means that
moderate fall in alveolar PO2 will not
much affect oxygen loading

Steep lower part

means that the peripheral tissues get a
lot of oxygen for a small drop in
capillary PO2
 Oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve
1. PO2

1
2. Temperature
2
Affect by:

3 3. pH and CO2

4
4. BPG (2,3 biphospoglicerate)
level
The Effect of pH and Temperature
on Hemoglobin Saturation
 THE EFFECT OF PCO2 AND 2,3-DPG ON
HEMOGLOBIN SATURATION

Effect of PCO2 Effect of 2,3-DPG (BPG)

BOHR Effect: The presence of a high PCO2 causes

haemoglobin to release oxygen
Carbon dioxide transport

– 7% dissolved in plasma
– 23% bound to hemoglobin
– Carbaminohemoglobin
– 70% carried as carbonic acid
– Bohr effect
– CO2 and H+ reduce the affinity for O2
– Haldane effect
– binding of oxygen with hemoglobin
tends to displace carbon dioxide from
the blood
– Chloride shift or hamburger effect
– To maintain electrical neutrality
Tissue condition

Metabolic process in tissue

↓
decrease in PO2 and pH
increase in PCO2 and temperature
↓
Hb-O2 saturation decrease
↓
O2 diffuse to tissue.
Taken from Guyton & Hall, 2016
A Summary of the Primary Gas
Transport Mechanisms
References

– Guyton AC, Hall JE. Textbook of Medical Physiology, 11th edition. 2006.
Philadelphia. Elsevier.(Chapter 39 and 40)
– West JB, Respiratory Physiology, The Essentials, 8th ed.
2008,Lippincott, chapter 5, p. 55
– Tortora GJ, Derrickson B. Principles Anatomy & Physiology, 13rd edition. 2012.
John Willey & Son (Chapter 23).