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Figure 2 | Critical Care

Figure 2

From: Bench-to-bedside review: Microvascular dysfunction in sepsis –hemodynamics, oxygen transport, and nitric oxide

Figure 2

Schematic representation of convective and diffusive oxygen (O2) transport in the microcirculation. O2 is carried by the red blood cell (RBC; convective transport) from the lung microcirculation to the tissue microcirculation. As the RBC traverses the vascular bed it 'offloads' O2 to the neighboring tissue; O2 then diffuses from the capillary to the tissue mitochondria, where it is consumed. Local oxygen tension (PO2) gradients are established along the capillary vessel, as the RBC hemoglobin (Hb) O2 saturation (SO2) decreases, and into the tissue with the latter acting as the driving force of O2 diffusion.

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Critical Care

ISSN: 1364-8535