Abstract
The ways in which oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are carried in the blood are well known and well understood, with a plethora of
textbooks, both general and lung specific, all presenting the topic in a very similar
manner. This first of two companion chapters similarly summarizes this information.
First, carriage of gases by physical solution is described, followed by discussion
of O2, carbon monoxide, and CO2 transport in that order. However, what available texts have not emphasized is why
knowing how gases are carried in blood matters, and the second, companion, chapter
specifically addresses that critical aspect of gas exchange physiology. In fact, each
of the chapters in this volume describes physiological behavior that depends more
or less directly on the dissociation curves of O2 and CO2.
Keywords
hemoglobin - solubility - partial pressure - concentration - dissociation curves -
O
2–CO
2 interactions
