Date of Award

4-1969

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Medical

First Advisor

Lyle Hamilton

Second Advisor

James J. Smith

Third Advisor

Edward F. Banaszak

Abstract

Stauffer (39), Hall (21), Welter (46), and their coworkers, have shown that intravenous CO2 results in an unexplained decrease in systemic arterial oxygen content in dogs. The present study was designed to explain this decrease in O2-content. There are four factors which could significantly alter pulmonary gas exchange to produce this effect: (1) altered pulmonary blood flow, (2) impaired alveolar ventilation, (3) impaired diffusion of gases across the alveolo-capillary membrane, and (4) the presence of pulmonary microemboli.

Some effects of intravenous CO2 infusion were determined by measuring alveolar ventilation, the per cent of blood shunted around pulmonary gas exchange vessels, and pulmonary diffusing capacity. The possibility that microemboli of CO2 could be responsible for the effects on gas exchange was studied by infusing CO2 intra-arterially into another group of dogs. This would produce bubble-free venous blood by trapping any undissolved CO2 in the systemic capillary beds or allowing a longer time for gas bubbles to be dissolved.

Alterations in the pulmonary system during hypercapnic acidosis were compared to those seen during metabolic acidosis produced by the intravenous infusion of dilute HCl. The infusion was adjusted to produce a comparable decrease in pH within a comparable period of time.

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