Estimation of the Oxygen Transport to Tissues from an in Vitro Measurement of Whole Blood Passage Time and Venous Blood ${P_{{O_2}}}$ in Diabetics

Abstract

The flow properties of blood have recently attracted much attention among the many factors involved in oxygen transport to tissues. For example, altered blood flow properties, especially an impaired deformability of red cells, have been reported with the suggestion of their possible relevance to hypoxic disturbances in tissues in several diseases including diabetes mellitus (Schmid-Schonbein and Volger, 1976; McMillan, 1976; McMillan et al., 1978) and occlusive arterial diseases (Ehrly, 1976; Reid et al., 1976). Furthermore, rheological therapies, such as hemodilution and drugs which may ameliorate impaired red cell deformability, have been extensively tried in the latter case to improve peripheral circulation and hence oxygen supply to tissues (Ehrly, 1976; Marcel, 1979). So far, however, no quantitative studies have been made to assess the complications for oxygen transport to tissues in vivo of these modifications of blood flow properties.