Determination of alveolar capillary temperature

¹ Department of Physiology, The University of Buffalo School of Medicine, Buffalo, New York

Since the alveolar temperature influences the solubility of most inert gases in pulmonary capillary blood, knowledge of the solubility in arterial blood may be used to determine the equilibration temperature, i.e., alveolar temperature. Because the partial pressure of inert gas in arterial blood cannot be deduced from the alveolar pressure, direct determination of solubility is impractical. However, if a mixture of two inert gases is used, the ratio of partial pressures in the arterial blood is equal to that in the inspired gas and the ratio of gas contents will vary with the ratio of solubility. The blood solubility ratio He/A varies by 1.34% per degree centigrade. Using an O₂-He-A inspired mixture, the following points were established in five resting subjects, fully clothed. 1) The pulmonary capillary temperature (Tpc) is linearly related to the rectal temperature (Tr), with a regression line equation: Tpc = 37.5 + 2.4 (Tr – 37.1). 2) When measurements were obtained on the same subject in different days, these measurements show that variations in Tpc are in the same direction as changes in Tr, but much more pronounced.

Note:
(With the Technical Assistance of M. Passke)