Model for the behaviour of compartmental CO(2) stores during incremental exercise

The respiratory exchange ratio (RER) is a valid method for determining fat and carbohydrate oxidation during exercise when the exchange of respiratory gas is in a state of steady flux between the tissue and fluid compartments and the alveoli. However, under incremental intensity or heavy exercise conditions, the movement of electrolytes, fluids, and CO(2) between body-fluid compartments is accentuated, leading to increased hydrogen-ion concentration ([H(+)]), decreased bicarbonate-ion concentration ([HCO(3) (-)]) and CO(2) stores, and the excretion of additional CO(2) at the alveoli (i.e. H(+)+HCO(3) (-) --> CO(2)+H(2)O) elevating the CO(2) minute volume. This non-respiratory CO(2) excretion can invalidate use of the RER for determination of fat and carbohydrate oxidation. Direct measurement of the labile CO(2) store and non-respiratory CO(2) excretion during exercise is difficult. Therefore, physicochemical models were derived to illustrate the likely behaviour of compartmental CO(2) stores during 8 W.min(-1) incremental cycling exercise to formulate correction factors to the RER for the non-respiratory CO(2) component. From these models, a polynomial regression equation was derived to describe the change in the total labile CO(2) store volume during incremental exercise from the relationship with blood HCO(3) (-) content: CO(2) volume (ml) = -17x(2)+464x+650, where x is the arterialised blood standard HCO(3) (-) concentration (mmol.l(-1)), relative to resting conditions. Non-respiratory CO(2) excretion (ml.min(-1)) was then determined from the rate of change in CO(2) volume. The modelling method could allow for straightforward calculation of the non-respiratory CO(2) excretion rate for future validation work.