THE POSITION OF THE OXYGEN DISSOCIATION CURVE OF THE BLOOD IN NORMAL CHILDREN AND ADULTS 1

Abstract

The oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve of the blood in cyanotic congenital heart disease, determined by the in vitro tonometer method and corrected to a pHc of 7.1, tends to be displaced to the right of its position in normal healthy individuals of approx. the same age. The degree of displacement is small, within a few mm. Hg. It tends to be greater in cyanotic individuals with pulmonary stenosis than in those without stenosis and decreases after the effects of stenosis are ameliorated by increasing pulmonary blood flow through the creation of an anastomosis between pulmonary artery and aorta.