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Multiple Choice

H/H is indicative of what pulmonary trait?

H/H reflects the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity because hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit determine how much oxygen blood can carry. Oxygen delivery to tissues depends on how much oxygen is in the blood (CaO2) multiplied by how much blood is circulating (cardiac output). CaO2 is largely set by Hb concentration and oxygen saturation, so low H/H means reduced oxygen content and, therefore, reduced oxygen delivery to tissues even if ventilation and oxygenation are otherwise adequate. The other traits don’t fit as well because diffusion capacity describes how well oxygen moves from the alveoli into the blood (a property of the alveolar-capillary membrane, not blood oxygen content), pulmonary vascular resistance concerns pressures in the pulmonary circulation, and alveolar ventilation is about the amount of air reaching the alveoli (ventilation), not how much oxygen the blood can carry.

H/H reflects the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity because hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit determine how much oxygen blood can carry. Oxygen delivery to tissues depends on how much oxygen is in the blood (CaO2) multiplied by how much blood is circulating (cardiac output). CaO2 is largely set by Hb concentration and oxygen saturation, so low H/H means reduced oxygen content and, therefore, reduced oxygen delivery to tissues even if ventilation and oxygenation are otherwise adequate.

The other traits don’t fit as well because diffusion capacity describes how well oxygen moves from the alveoli into the blood (a property of the alveolar-capillary membrane, not blood oxygen content), pulmonary vascular resistance concerns pressures in the pulmonary circulation, and alveolar ventilation is about the amount of air reaching the alveoli (ventilation), not how much oxygen the blood can carry.