Anaesthesia Fundamentals | Physiology | Gaseous Exchange: Hypoxia and Hyper- and Hypo-Capnia

Gaseous Exchange: Hypoxia and Hyper- and Hypo-Capnia
Session overview
Description
This session explores the causes and physiological consequences of hypoxia, hypocapnia and hypercapnia.

Learning objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Describe the systems involved in the maintenance of normal arterial PO2/PCO2
• Describe the pulmonary, circulatory and metabolic causes of abnormalities in PO2/PCO2
• Explore the consequences and compensatory mechanisms resulting from abnormalities in PO2/PCO2

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should complete:

• Gaseous Exchange: O2 and CO2 Transport (001-0660)

Normal homeostasis relies on the ability of the respiratory and circulatory systems to deliver oxygen to the tissues for metabolic processes, and to remove resulting metabolites including CO2.

As an anaesthetist, it is important that you know what problems can occur when this system fails.

We will explore the causes of abnormal arterial PO2 and PCO2, and also the compensatory mechanisms involved in restoring blood gas tensions to normal.