Pulmonary capillary blood volume, flow and diffusing capacity during exercise

Abstract

Pulmonary capillary blood flow (Qc) and apparent CO diffusing capacity (Dl) were calculated from the rates of disappearance of small alveolar concentrations of inspired acetylene and carbon monoxide during breath holding. Such measurements were performed simultaneously in four normal subjects at rest, during exercise and while performing Valsalva or Mueller maneuvers; they were also made at more than one alveolar oxygen tension so that true membrane diffusing capacity (Dm) and pulmonary capillary blood volume (Vc) could be calculated by the method of Roughton and Forster. Dl, Dm and Vc were closely correlated with Qc (r = 0.92, 0.71 and 0.92, respectively), indicating that both volume and effective surface of the pulmonary capillary bed changed along with corresponding directional changes in blood flow. During transients after starting or after stopping exercise, changes in Dl lagged slightly behind the associated changes in Qc; both parameters tended to reach steady values, however, after about 1 minute of steady exercise. The average time spent by red cells in the pulmonary capillaries at rest was estimated to be 0.79 second, falling to about 0.5 second at levels of exercise at which volume flow through the capillary bed was approximately tripled. Submitted on September 18, 1959