Gas Exchange and Transport

This set of flashcards covers essential terminology and principles related to gas exchange and transport in the human body.

Partial Pressure

The pressure exerted by a single gas in a mixture of gases, calculated as the percentage of the gas's concentration multiplied by the total pressure.

Dalton's Law

The law stating that in a mixture of gases, the total pressure is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of all individual gases.

Henry's Law

The principle that states gases diffuse from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure, affecting how gases dissolve in liquids.

Oxy-Hemoglobin Dissociation Curve

A graphical representation that illustrates the saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen at various partial pressures of oxygen.

Bohr Effect

The physiological phenomenon where increased levels of carbon dioxide and decreased pH reduce hemoglobin's affinity for oxygen, facilitating oxygen release in tissues.

Myoglobin

An iron-containing protein found in muscle tissue that stores and facilitates oxygen transfer to mitochondria.

2,3 DPG

A by-product of glycolysis in red blood cells that decreases hemoglobin's affinity for oxygen, promoting oxygen delivery to tissues.

Transport of O2

Oxygen is transported in the blood either dissolved in plasma or bound to hemoglobin, with hemoglobin carrying significantly more oxygen.

Arteriovenous O2 Difference

The difference in oxygen content between arterial blood and venous blood, indicating how much oxygen is extracted by tissues.

Chloride Shift

The exchange process that occurs in red blood cells where bicarbonate ions move out into plasma and chloride ions move in, maintaining ionic balance.