Carbonate Content of Plasma. 



21 



shortness of breath. On examination a moderate cardiac en- 

 largement with mitral stenosis and auricular fibrillation was found. 

 The C0 2 of the arterial plasma was thirty-eight volumes per 

 cent. Five days later when he was much improved the CO2 of 

 the arterial plasma had increased to forty-nine volumes per cent. 



The results of this study seem to indicate that when the 

 minute volume of air respired at rest is definitely above normal 

 (10 to 12 liters) the plasma C0 2 is low. With improvement in the 

 circulation and the accompanying fall in the minute volume the 

 C0 2 of the arterial plasma shows a definite increase toward the 

 normal. 



10 (1470) 



The total carbonate content of the arterial and venous plasma in 

 patients with chronic pulmonary emphysema. 



By R. W. Scott (by invitation). 



[From the Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Western 

 Reserve University, Cleveland.] 



This study represents six determinations of the total carbon 

 dioxide content of the arterial and venous plasma over a period 

 of six months on three patients with chronic pulmonary emphy- 

 sema of the so-called "large lunged" type. The patients were 

 males between forty-five and fifty years of age with definite 

 enlargements in all diameters of the thorax, particularly the 

 anterior-posterior diameter; thus presenting the typical "barrel 

 shaped" chest. They were singularly free from cardio-renal 

 disease so that all their symptoms and signs were attributed 

 to the disturbance in the respiration resulting from the degenera- 

 tive process in the lung. From observations to be reported in 

 detail elsewhere, it has been found that this type of patient will 

 tolerate an unusually high percentage of CO2 in the inspired air 

 with little increase in the minute volume over that at room air 

 and without any subjective symptoms of distress. As a rule 

 such patients breath eight to ten per cent. C0 2 for from ten to 

 fifteen minutes with no apparent discomfort. That is, one man 

 who has been under observation for the past nine months had a 



