Does the vessel wall partition oxygen away from the tissue?
The microvascular wall is metabolically active and plays a key role in maintaining homeostasis. Additionally, it regulates the delivery of nutrients to the tissue and removal of its byproducts. Large oxygen gradients have been found to occur across the vessel wall. By using pharmacologic challenges, studies have demonstrated that the vascular wall regulates oxygen release from the blood to the tissue. Thus, these findings lead to the hypothesis that vasoactive substances used clinically may inadvertently partition proportionately more oxygen to the vascular wall and reduce the amount received by the tissue, leaving it potentially at risk.
Friesenecker
Barbara
B
Division of General and Surgical Intensive Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, The Leopold-Franzens-University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria. barbara.friesenecker@i-med.ac.at
D000818:Animals; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008833:Microcirculation; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010313:Partial Pressure; D014661:Vasoconstriction
D010100:Oxygen