Faculty of dentistry

GAS TRANSPORT

Ass.prof .Noha Mohamed Badae

Medical Physiology Department

:By the end of this lecture the student will be able to

1) Describe how the oxygen is transported in the

blood

2) Define Oxygen content, oxygen % saturation &

oxygen partial pressure

3) List forms in which carbon dioxide is transported

in the blood.
Transport
 GAS transport

Gas can move from one point to another

by diffusion from high pressure to low

pressure.
 mmHg 160
Dry mmHg 150
atm.air
mmHg 100
Dead
space mmHg 100
Alveolus
mmHg 95
Pulmonary
venules mmHg 5-40
PO
2
Systemic
arterioles
Tissue cells

Oxygen Cascade
Gas Exchange in Lungs & Tissues
 O2 transport by Blood

97% 3%

In chemical Dissolved O2
combination with )in physical solution(
Hb
 O2 transport by Blood

About 3% O2 is found O2 in physical solution -1

in physical solution i.e. Dissolved O2
dissolved in the plasma
and cells.

0.3ml/100ml 0.13ml/100ml
.arterial blood venous blood.
PO2 = 40mmHg.
.PO2 =100mmHg
 I- Dissolved O2
Importance:
It is responsible for the PO2 in the blood,
which in turn determine:

- Direction of O2 & rate of flow.

- Amount of O2 in chemical
combination with Hb.
 O2 transport by Blood

More than 97% of O2 O2 in chemical -2

is bound to Hb of RBC combination with Hb
in chemical
combination.

20ml/100ml 15ml/100ml
arterial blood. venous blood.
II- Oxygen in chemical combination
Normally it is about 19.4ml/100ml of
arterial blood.
Importance:

It is essential for supplying adequate O2

to the tissues during rest and exercise.
 O2 in chemical combination with Hb

 The binding of Hb
with O2 is loose and
reversible
(oxygenation not
oxidation).

Deoxygenated Hb

O2

oxygenated Hb
 Co-operativity
 It is a characteristic of Hb .Picked up O2

molecule appears to facilitate the uptake of the

next one and so on until Hb is fully oxygenated
.

 Binding of one O2 molecule to Hb distort the

shape of molecule leading to expose more O2

binding site which facilitate the next.

 O2 content of blood

It is the amount of O2 present in 100ml of

.blood in chemical combination with Hb
It depends on

Hb content O2 tension
Oxygen content is decreased in

1- Anemia (decreased Hb concentration)

2- Hypoxic hypoxia (decreased PO2 in

arterial blood).
 O2 content of arterial blood = about

19.4 ml O2 % during rest.

 O2 content of venous blood = about 14.4

ml O2 % during rest.
% ml O2 19.4
% ml O2 14.4

ml 5
O2 capacity of the blood
It is the maximal amount of O2 present in chemical

combination with hemoglobin in 100 ml blood when

hemoglobin is fully saturated with O2. O2 capacity

depends only on Hb content.

It does not depend on O2 tension which is conditioned

to be high enough to saturate fully all Hb.

O2 capacity of normal blood = 20 ml O2 %.

Normal Hb concentration = 15 gm/100 ml

blood.

amount of O2 which saturates completely 1gm

Hb = 1.34 ml of O2

O2 capacity of the blood = 15 gm Hb/100 ml

blood x 1.34 ml of O2/ 1gm of Hb.

 O2 content
O2 % saturation = x 100
O2 capacity

 It is about 97% in arterial blood during rest.

 It is about 75% in venous blood during rest.

% 97
% 75 Oxyhemoglobin
Oxyhemoglobin
% Approx. 25
CO2 TRANSPORT
CO2 is not only a waste product of

metabolism but it is also an important

component of carbonic/bicarbonate

buffering system in the body fluids

.for adjustment of their pH

 
Gas Exchange in Lungs & Tissues
Carbon dioxide transported in the blood in
two forms:

A – physically dissolved CO2

about 5%

B- Chemically combined CO2

about 95%
 CO2 in physical -1
solution

About 5% CO2 is found in physical solution

i.e. dissolved in the plasma and RBCs.

.2.4ml/100ml blood .2.7ml/100ml blood

.PCO2 =40mmHg .PCO2 = 46mmHg
The physically dissolved part is very
important because:-

- It is responsible for CO2 tension

PCO2 in the arterial blood (40mmHg)
PCo2 in venous blood (46mmHg).

- PCO2 controls the direction and rate

of flow of CO2.
 CO2 in chemical -2
combination

IT represents 95% of CO2 content

5% is formed by combination
of CO2 with the free amino group of plasma proteins
and hemoglobin forming the carbamino compounds.
 CO2 in chemical -2
combination

90% of CO2 content is present as

bicarbonate (KHCO3 in the RBCs and
NaHCO3 in the plasma).

27
 Tidal CO2
It is the volume of Co2 that is added to each 100
ml of arterial blood during its flow through the
tissues.

ml CO2 4
% ml CO2 48
% ml CO2 52
 Lecture quiz
Most of the carbon dioxide transported in
the blood is in the form of :

a) Dissolved

b) Bicarbonate

c) Attached to hemoglobin

d) Carbamino compounds
A patient with severe anaemia has normal lungs,
you would expect:

a) Low arterial po2

b) Low arterial o2 saturation.

c) Normal arterial o2 content.

d) Low arterial o2 capacity.

 
 References
1. Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology
https://www.amazon.com/Guyton-Hall-Textbook-Medical-Physiology/dp
/1455770051

2. Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiology, 25e

https://www.amazon.com/Ganongs-Review-Medical-Physiology-Twenty-
Fifth/dp/007182510X

3. USLME step 1 lecture notes physiology 2017

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/
1b6hSiwAzGyRypOTDCnnBw68MmQEVRv-u?usp=sharing
Thank You