[Hemoglobin oxygen transport during experimental acute hypercapnia (author's transl)]

The effects on hemoglobin oxygen transport of acute respiratory acidosis have been studied in dogs inhaling a gaseous mixture with 12% CO2 (O2 21%) for two to five hours. In a first series of experiments, it was shown that the shape of the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve (ODC) was not modified by severe acidosis (pH congruent to 7) lasting for two and a half hours. The Hill number (N equals 2.6) did not change significantly. The aim of the second experimental series was to stuey the Bohr effect and the hemoglobin oxygen affinity (P50). The control value for the respiratory Bohr coefficient (B) was --0.54; neither after two hours (--0.52), nor after five hours of hypercapnia (--0.55) was it significantly modified. The P50 expressed at arterial pH was much increased in acidosis (congruent to 45 torr); when expressed at standard p/ 7.4, it was slightly but significantly decreased (congruent to 1 torr) at the fifth hour. At the same time there was a decrease (p smaller than 0.05) in the erythrocyte 2,3-DPG approaching 15 p. cent; on the other hand the ATP concentration did not change significantly. No significant individual correlation was found between P50(7.4), 2,3-DPG and mean hemoglobin corpuscular concentration. These results suggest that during severe respiratory acidosis neither a change in the shape of ODC, nor a change in Bohr effect do affect the hemoglobin oxygen transport. The main characteristic remains the decrease in oxygen affinity of hemoglobin, due to the erythrocyte [H+] increase induced by hypercapnia ; this phenomenon is observed as long as the 2,3-DPG decrease stays moderate.