Study for the Respiratory Therapy Test. Use flashcards and multiple choice questions, featuring hints and explanations. Prepare for your exam successfully!

Multiple Choice

With hemoglobin concentration of 15 g/dL at 100% saturation, what is the oxygen carrying capacity of blood?

Oxygen carrying capacity is determined by how much O2 Hb can carry when fully saturated. Each gram of hemoglobin binds about 1.34 mL of O2 at 100% saturation. So with 15 g of Hb per deciliter, the Hb-bound O2 is 15 × 1.34 = 20.1 mL O2 per 100 mL of blood, i.e., 20.1 vol%. The dissolved O2 in plasma adds only a small amount (about 0.3 mL/dL at typical arterial oxygen tension), but the main capacity figure comes from Hb-bound O2, which is 20.1 vol%.

Oxygen carrying capacity is determined by how much O2 Hb can carry when fully saturated. Each gram of hemoglobin binds about 1.34 mL of O2 at 100% saturation. So with 15 g of Hb per deciliter, the Hb-bound O2 is 15 × 1.34 = 20.1 mL O2 per 100 mL of blood, i.e., 20.1 vol%. The dissolved O2 in plasma adds only a small amount (about 0.3 mL/dL at typical arterial oxygen tension), but the main capacity figure comes from Hb-bound O2, which is 20.1 vol%.