Experimental and theoretical analysis of oxygen transport in fetal brain.
Based on the results obtained in this study and the results of others it seems safe to conclude the following: 1) Fetal brain PO2 values are considerably lower than those found in adult brain. 2) Administration of 100% oxygen to the mother can (but not always) significantly raise the PO2 at a specific point in the fetal cortex. 3) The response of fetal brain PO2 to changes in maternal arterial PO2 is delayed by a finite quantity of time of the order of magnitude of 38 seconds. 4) The time required for the fetal brain PO2 to reach a minimum following a decrease in the PO2 of maternal arterial blood coincides closely with the time required for the maternal arterial PO2 to reach its minimum plus the pure transport delay time (38 seconds). 5) The fetus has available a control mechanism which acts to compensate for periods of reduced PO2 in the microenvironment of the fetal cortex.
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006041:Goats; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D007700:Kinetics; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D008954:Models, Biological; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D011247:Pregnancy; D012039:Regional Blood Flow
D010100:Oxygen