Precapillary O2 loss and arteriovenous O2 diffusion shunt are below limit of detection in myocardium

1. Mean intracellular PO2 is much lower than mean venous PO2 in subepicardium. 2. The drop in Hb saturation between aorta and terminal arterioles is within the 5% error of our method. 3. Arteriolar O2 has no effect on saturation in paired countercurrent venules in myocardium. 4. Saturation in coronary venules is independent of venule diameter and indistinguishable from saturation in macroscopic epicardial veins. 5. Since diffusive O2 shunting is negligible and PO2 is approximately linearly related to saturations over the observed range, mean coronary venous PO2 should closely approximate mean-end capillary PO2. 6. O2 mass transport from blood to tissue requires a steep PO2 gradient between the capillary and the surface of a tissue cell.