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Gas Exchange in Body Cavities

Stephen H. Loring, James P. Butler

10.1002/cphy.cp030415

Source: Supplement 13: Handbook of Physiology, The Respiratory System, Gas Exchange

Originally published: 1987

Published online: January 2011

Full Article on Wiley Online Library



Abstract

The sections in this article are:

1 Types of Gas Cavities
1.1 Open Nonventilated Cavities
1.2 Closed Rigid Cavities
1.3 Closed Collapsible Cavities
2 Theory
2.1 Homogeneity of Geometric Parameters
2.2 Steady‐State and Spatially Uniform Gas Phase
2.3 Steady‐State and Spatially Linear Tissue Phase
2.4 Convective Blood Transport
2.5 Unidirectional Tissue Transport
2.6 Perfusion Versus Diffusion Domination (Limitation)
3 Measurements of Gas Flux in Cavities
4 Composition of Gas in Cavities
5 Total Gas Pressure in Tissue
6 Nonsteady State
7 Exchange of O2 and CO2
8 Models of Gas Flux from Cavities — Perfusion Versus Diffusion Limitation
9 Multiple Inert Gases
10 Very Small Collapsible Cavities: Bubbles
11 Supersaturation and Bubble Growth
12 Summary
Figure 1. Figure 1.

Three types of gas cavities in the body. A: open nonventilated cavity. B: closed rigid cavity. C: closed collapsible cavity. Arrows, net gas flux (single‐headed) or equilibrium (double‐headed) in state of constant composition. P, total pressure of gas; PB, barometric pressure.

Adapted from Piiper 22
Figure 2. Figure 2.

Differential surface of gas cavity wall with its blood supply. h, Tissue thickness; Pc, blood partial pressure; Pg, pocket partial pressure; d2S, differential area serving capillary; dQ, differential blood flow; dx, differential length.
Figure 3. Figure 3.

Changes in composition (top) and volume (bottom) of subcutaneous gas pockets for first 4 h after injection with air (left) and N2 (right). Top: broken lines mark the steady‐state composition approached, which for CO2 and O2 is practically identical with corresponding venous blood values; for N2 it is higher. Bottom: heavy lines, total gas volume; light lines, change of dry gas volumes of CO2, O2, and N2.

From Piiper 22
Figure 4. Figure 4.

Pressures of gases in air, alveoli, arterial blood, mixed venous blood, and subcutaneous gas pocket of an air‐breathing animal. Total gas pressure gradient from pocket to blood is due principally to N2 gradient. Water vapor pressure is assumed to be 20 Torr in air and 47 Torr in the body.

Data from Piiper 22 and Tenney and Ou 34
Figure 5. Figure 5.

Exit rate of O2 from bladders suspended in air (right) or pure O2 (left) vs. PO2 difference, inside minus outside. Exit rate is normalized by thickness/area (x/A) to decrease variability due to bladder dimensions and to allow estimation of Krogh diffusion constant. At y‐intercept, all O2 leaving the pocket is consumed in inner half of bladder tissue. At the x‐intercept, O2 diffusing from external gas is sufficient to meet metabolic requirements of tissue, and there is no PO2 gradient or O2 flux at the inner surface of bladder wall.

From Van Liew and Chen 47
Figure 6. Figure 6.

Two basic models for analysis of gas exchange in body cavities. Diagrams of cavity wall with capillaries cut in cross section are shown with plots of partial pressure of gas diffusing from cavity into blood. A: model with uniform diffusion barrier separating the cavity from a vascular bed. Gas in pericapillary tissue is in equilibrium with that in blood. Gradients are uniform, and flux is a linear function of partial pressure in the pocket. B: basic model with perfused capillaries uniformly distributed in a homogeneous diffusion barrier. Gradients are not uniform, and flux is not a linear function of partial pressure in the pocket. (Model includes an additional diffusion barrier, not shown here, which accounts for incomplete equilibration of partial pressure in blood and pericapillary tissue.)

A adapted from Piiper et al. 23; B adapted from Van Liew 42
Figure 7. Figure 7.

Qualitative behavior of pocket volume and partial pressures of H2O, CO2, O2, N2, and SF6 as a function of time in an O2‐breathing animal. Pocket is initially composed of 50% N2 and 50% SF6. Scales are arbitrary.
Figure 8. Figure 8.

Theoretical predictions of shrinkage of an N2 bubble at various rates of perfusion of tissue (ml/min) for an animal breathing Q2. Q, blood flow rate.

From Hlastala and Van Liew 12


Figure 1.

Three types of gas cavities in the body. A: open nonventilated cavity. B: closed rigid cavity. C: closed collapsible cavity. Arrows, net gas flux (single‐headed) or equilibrium (double‐headed) in state of constant composition. P, total pressure of gas; PB, barometric pressure.

Adapted from Piiper 22


Figure 2.

Differential surface of gas cavity wall with its blood supply. h, Tissue thickness; Pc, blood partial pressure; Pg, pocket partial pressure; d2S, differential area serving capillary; dQ, differential blood flow; dx, differential length.



Figure 3.

Changes in composition (top) and volume (bottom) of subcutaneous gas pockets for first 4 h after injection with air (left) and N2 (right). Top: broken lines mark the steady‐state composition approached, which for CO2 and O2 is practically identical with corresponding venous blood values; for N2 it is higher. Bottom: heavy lines, total gas volume; light lines, change of dry gas volumes of CO2, O2, and N2.

From Piiper 22


Figure 4.

Pressures of gases in air, alveoli, arterial blood, mixed venous blood, and subcutaneous gas pocket of an air‐breathing animal. Total gas pressure gradient from pocket to blood is due principally to N2 gradient. Water vapor pressure is assumed to be 20 Torr in air and 47 Torr in the body.

Data from Piiper 22 and Tenney and Ou 34


Figure 5.

Exit rate of O2 from bladders suspended in air (right) or pure O2 (left) vs. PO2 difference, inside minus outside. Exit rate is normalized by thickness/area (x/A) to decrease variability due to bladder dimensions and to allow estimation of Krogh diffusion constant. At y‐intercept, all O2 leaving the pocket is consumed in inner half of bladder tissue. At the x‐intercept, O2 diffusing from external gas is sufficient to meet metabolic requirements of tissue, and there is no PO2 gradient or O2 flux at the inner surface of bladder wall.

From Van Liew and Chen 47


Figure 6.

Two basic models for analysis of gas exchange in body cavities. Diagrams of cavity wall with capillaries cut in cross section are shown with plots of partial pressure of gas diffusing from cavity into blood. A: model with uniform diffusion barrier separating the cavity from a vascular bed. Gas in pericapillary tissue is in equilibrium with that in blood. Gradients are uniform, and flux is a linear function of partial pressure in the pocket. B: basic model with perfused capillaries uniformly distributed in a homogeneous diffusion barrier. Gradients are not uniform, and flux is not a linear function of partial pressure in the pocket. (Model includes an additional diffusion barrier, not shown here, which accounts for incomplete equilibration of partial pressure in blood and pericapillary tissue.)

A adapted from Piiper et al. 23; B adapted from Van Liew 42


Figure 7.

Qualitative behavior of pocket volume and partial pressures of H2O, CO2, O2, N2, and SF6 as a function of time in an O2‐breathing animal. Pocket is initially composed of 50% N2 and 50% SF6. Scales are arbitrary.



Figure 8.

Theoretical predictions of shrinkage of an N2 bubble at various rates of perfusion of tissue (ml/min) for an animal breathing Q2. Q, blood flow rate.

From Hlastala and Van Liew 12
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Article Title: Gas Exchange in Body Cavities
 

How to Cite

Stephen H. Loring, James P. Butler. Gas Exchange in Body Cavities. Compr Physiol 2011, Supplement 13: Handbook of Physiology, The Respiratory System, Gas Exchange: 283-295. First published in print 1987. doi: 10.1002/cphy.cp030415