Arterial and Venous Oxygen Contents. 155 



92 (1270) 



The differences between arterial and venous oxygen contents in 



heart failure. 



By Christen Lundsgaard (by invitation). 



[From the Hospital of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, 



New York.] 



The paper is a report of an attempt to estimate the circulation 

 by the difference in the oxygen content of arterial and venous 

 blood. 



1. Arterial Blood. — Being unable to draw samples from an 

 artery, we take the venous blood, saturate it with air, and deter- 

 mine either its oxygen content or its hemoglobin content, which 

 is proportional to the oxygen capacity. The oxygen content is 

 determined by Van Slyke's method, previously described in the 

 Proceedings of this Society. The hemoglobin is determined by 

 a colorimetric method of Dr. W. W. Palmer.* 



2. Venous Blood. — Ten c.c. of blood, drawn from the arm vein 

 without any stasis, is deposited together with a little oxalate 

 below mineral oil. A sample of 2 c.c. is transferred to the chamber 

 of the Van Slyke apparatus without exposure to air, and the 

 chemically bound oxygen determined. 



Results. 



Twenty-three determinations have been done on 7 normal 

 persons in rest and 27 on 13 resting patients. 



1. Normals. — The amount of oxygen taken away has varied 

 from 2.5 to 9 volumes per cent. 



2. Patients. — In clinical compensated patients the difference 

 between arterial and venous oxygen fell between 2.5 and 9 

 volumes per cent. In clinically decompensated, it was usually 

 about 9 volumes per cent.; the highest found was 16. Three 

 patients are followed under treatment. 



The difference between arterial and venous oxygen appears, 

 therefore, to be related to the degree of retardation in the circula- 

 tion, although the present data justify no assumption of exact 

 proportionality. 



♦See this number of the proceedings p. 175. 



