[Current views on oxygen transport from blood to tissues]

During the recent 25-30 years, sophisticated experiments and mathematical simulation significantly changed the generally accepted theory of oxygen transport in tissue, which was based on two major postulates, namely: 1) Blood flows in capillaries continuously at uniform velocity, 2) Gas circulation between blood and tissue takes place exclusively in capillaries. As was shown by modern research techniques, blood flow in microvessels has irregular sharp velocity fluctuations in very short time intervals (seconds). In addition, mean velocity of blood flow in microvessels of the same caliber and the same micro-region of tissue may differ several times. Therefore, efficiency of microcirculation reactions may be assessed exclusively witH mean blood velocity in capillaries of the whole micro-region, and with complicated changes of the histogram of mean velocity distribution in capillaries. It was shown that arteriolas and venulas of inactive muscles and brain account for 30 to 50% of gas circulation between blood and tissue. This resulted in fundamental change of the previous postulates in the area of tissue gas circulation physiology, and, in effect, in replacement of oxygen transport paradigm created by A. Krog. This study is an attempt to present a new modern concept of oxygen transport in tissue, to show its research significance, and possible applications.