Determination of oxygenated, mixed venous blood CO2 tension by a breath-holding method

Abstract

At the end of a normal expiration the subject inhaled a given volume of gas mixtures containing different concentrations of CO2 in O2 from 5 to 17%. These were held in the lung for 3 and then again for 12 seconds and were then expired and analyzed. Analyses were made with an infrared analyzer and times were obtained from the graphical record. If the rate of change of CO2 tension is plotted against the mean CO2 tension a straight line results which passes through zero rate at the tension which equals the tension of CO2 in the mixed oxygenated venous blood. From the slope of this straight line it is possible to calculate the cardiac output if the lung volume and slope of the CO2 dissociation curve of the blood are known. Data are presented from 37 experiments on 10 subjects. The method is believed to be theoretically sound but has not been validated as a practical clinical method. Occasional erratic points were obtained, especially in untrained subjects. The standard error of the mean value for venous CO2 tension was 1.9 mm Hg. Submitted on July 13, 1959