Authors: Nicole Prommer Walter Schmidt
Publish Date: 2007/03/30
Volume: 100, Issue: 4, Pages: 383-391
Abstract
Total haemoglobin mass can be easily measured by applying the optimised COrebreathing method oCORmethod Prerequisite for its accurate determination is a homogenous CO distribution in the blood and the exact knowledge of the CO volume circulating in the vascular space The aim of the study was to evaluate the mixing time of CO in the blood after inhaling a CObolus and to quantify the CO volume leaving the vascular bed due to diffusion to myoglobin and due to exhalation during processing the oCORmethod The oCORmethod was also compared to a former commonly used COrebreathing procedure In ten subjects the time course of carboxyhaemoglobin HbCO formation was analysed simultaneously in capillary and venous blood for a period of 15 min after inhaling a CO bolus The volume of CO diffusing from haemoglobin to myoglobin was calculated via the decrease of HbCO As part of this decrease is due to CO exhalation this volume was quantified by collecting the exhaled air in a Douglas bag system Equal HbCO values in capillary and venous blood were reached at min 6 indicating complete mixing of CO The loss of CO out of the vascular bed due to exhalation and due to diffusion to myoglobin was 032 ± 012 min−1 025 ± 009 ml min−1 and 032 ± 018 min−1 024 ± 013 ml min−1 of the administered CO volume respectively The loss of CO due to exhalation and diffusion to myoglobin is of minor impact It should however be considered by using correction factors to obtain high accuracy when determining total haemoglobin mass
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