Which statement correctly describes dissolved oxygen in blood?

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Multiple Choice

Which statement correctly describes dissolved oxygen in blood?

Dissolved oxygen in blood follows Henry’s law: the amount of O2 that can be dissolved is proportional to the PO2 and the solubility of O2 in blood. The solubility coefficient is about 0.003 mL O2 per 100 mL of blood for every 1 mmHg of PO2. So for each 1 mmHg increase in PO2, roughly 0.003 mL of O2 remains dissolved in 100 mL of blood. At a typical arterial PO2 of ~100 mmHg, this equals about 0.3 mL O2 dissolved per 100 mL of blood, with the rest carried by hemoglobin. This is why the precise way to express the dissolved fraction is 0.003 mL O2 per 100 mL of blood per mmHg PO2. The other statements would misstate either the volume basis (per mL instead of per 100 mL) or the magnitude (0.03 rather than 0.003).

Dissolved oxygen in blood follows Henry’s law: the amount of O2 that can be dissolved is proportional to the PO2 and the solubility of O2 in blood. The solubility coefficient is about 0.003 mL O2 per 100 mL of blood for every 1 mmHg of PO2. So for each 1 mmHg increase in PO2, roughly 0.003 mL of O2 remains dissolved in 100 mL of blood. At a typical arterial PO2 of ~100 mmHg, this equals about 0.3 mL O2 dissolved per 100 mL of blood, with the rest carried by hemoglobin. This is why the precise way to express the dissolved fraction is 0.003 mL O2 per 100 mL of blood per mmHg PO2. The other statements would misstate either the volume basis (per mL instead of per 100 mL) or the magnitude (0.03 rather than 0.003).

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