Anaesthesia Fundamentals | Physiology | Gaseous Exchange: Oxygen

Gaseous Exchange: Oxygen
Session overview
Description
This session describes how oxygen is transported in the blood to the tissues and vital organs.

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

• Describe how oxygen is transferred from the air to the arterial blood
• Explain how the respiratory and cardiovascular system interact to maintain normal arterial PO2
• Describe the mechanisms by which oxygen is transported in the blood
• Identify the factors affecting tissue oxygen delivery
• Describe which measurements can be used to assess the adequacy of tissue oxygen delivery

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should complete:

• The Cardiovascular System (001-0007)
• Respiratory System (001-0008)
• Oxygen Transport and Consumption (001-0009)

The maintenance of adequate tissue oxygenation is vital for the health of an organism.

The understanding of the delicate interplay of the various systems involved is a core element in the conduct of safe anaesthesia.

This session demonstrates how the cardiac and respiratory systems interact to maintain tissue oxygen delivery, and how this may be affected by the variations in cardiovascular and respiratory physiology that occur during anaesthesia.