Abstract
Oxygen is supplied to the blood by simple diffusion through the alveolo-capillary membrane, along the partial pressure gradient. With an oxygen content of about 21% in the atmospheric air, the partial pressure of oxygen in the atmosphere is about 150 mm Hg, while its content in the blood reaches 100 mm Hg. Oxygen is transported by blood in two forms: dissolved in plasma and bound to hemoglobin. 0.31 ml of O2 is dissolved in 100 ml of blood, which is not enough for tissue oxygenation. Oxygen is mainly transported in combination with hemoglobin in red blood cells: 100 ml of blood is transferred to 200 ml of oxygen. The most important parameter by which one can judge the amount of oxygen associated with hemoglobin is the saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen — SaO2, or saturation. At a partial oxygen pressure of 100 mm Hg, the saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen in arterial blood is about 97%.
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