Abstract
A new biotonometric method for the determination of haemoglobin oxygen equilibrium curves is described. The procedure is based on the mixing of an oxygen-consuming organism, the yeast cell ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae), with an oxidized blood/plasma mixture. The yeast cell consumes oxygen at a uniform rate, thus reducing the partial pressure of oxygen in the mixture. This in turn induces the dissociation of oxygen in a characteristic manner. The study of the whole blood samples from 26 healthy volunteer subjects gave the following results: p50=3.63 kPa±0.23 kPa (mean±1 S.D.); Hill slope n=2.44±0.16; and CO 2 Bohr factor=−0.47±0.11. For the within-run imprecision the coefficients of variation for the different parameters were: p50 C.V.=4.4%; Hill slope n C.V.=4.7%; and CO 2 Bohr factor C.V.=19%. The determination can be carried out with simple equipment: a blood gas analyzer with a coupled recorder.
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