THE POSITION OF THE OXYGEN DISSOCIATION CURVE OF THE BLOOD IN CYANOTIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE 1

Abstract

The oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve of the blood of the child, detd. by the in vitro tonometer method and corrected to a pHc of 7.1, tends to lie farther to the right than does that of the adult, i.e., in the direction of decreased affinity of hemoglobin for O2. The dissociation curve of the blood of the newborn infant lies to the left of the adult curve. The shift to the childhood position occurs within the first 2 months of life. Limited data for individuals between 10 and 20 yrs. of age give no evidence of a shift of the dissociation curve from the childhood to the adult position during those years.