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Multiple Choice

In the CaO2 calculation example, what is the SaO2 value used (%))?

Oxygen content of blood is mainly determined by how much hemoglobin is carrying oxygen, which depends on the amount of Hb and how saturated it is (SaO2). In the CaO2 formula, SaO2 is used to represent the fraction of Hb binding sites occupied by O2. In a typical, normal-appearing calculation, a value around normal arterial saturation is chosen to illustrate the concept. The example uses 98% because it’s a common, convenient representation of near-normal arterial oxygenation and yields a CaO2 close to the familiar normal value (~20 mL O2 per dL). For instance, with a hemoglobin of 15 g/dL, bound O2 is about 15 × 1.34 × 0.98 ≈ 19.7 mL/dL, and the dissolved O2 term adds only a small amount (0.3 mL/dL at PaO2 ≈ 100 mmHg), totaling roughly 20 mL/dL. That’s why 98% is used in the example.

Oxygen content of blood is mainly determined by how much hemoglobin is carrying oxygen, which depends on the amount of Hb and how saturated it is (SaO2). In the CaO2 formula, SaO2 is used to represent the fraction of Hb binding sites occupied by O2. In a typical, normal-appearing calculation, a value around normal arterial saturation is chosen to illustrate the concept. The example uses 98% because it’s a common, convenient representation of near-normal arterial oxygenation and yields a CaO2 close to the familiar normal value (~20 mL O2 per dL). For instance, with a hemoglobin of 15 g/dL, bound O2 is about 15 × 1.34 × 0.98 ≈ 19.7 mL/dL, and the dissolved O2 term adds only a small amount (0.3 mL/dL at PaO2 ≈ 100 mmHg), totaling roughly 20 mL/dL. That’s why 98% is used in the example.