Mathematical model of oxygen transport: a teaching aid for normal physiology adaptable to extracorporeal oxygenation circuits
Seear, M.; Anderson, B.; Hall, R.; Hui, H.
American Journal of Physiology 268(6 Pt 3): S32-S39
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9513 PMID: 7598171 Document Number: 439757
The ultimate aim of most intensive care therapies is to improve tissue oxygen delivery; consequently, a detailed knowledge of this area of physiology is important to a wide range of Critical Care Staff. We describe a simple mathematical model of oxygen transport that was initially written as a training aid for extracorporeal oxygenation training. The model has subsequently proved useful for explaining the determinants of oxygen transport to a broader audience. It is based on simple linear equations and is easily displayed with a standard computer spreadsheet. Apart from its teaching value, the model can also generate a graph of oxygen saturation vs. inspired oxygen fraction for different degrees of pulmonary shunt. This provides a noninvasive method for determining the magnitude of pulmonary venous admixture and may also prove to have some clinical value.