Diffusion-perfusion relationships in skeletal muscle: models and experimental evidence from inert gas washout

In order to study the dependence of blood-tissue gas exchange upon diffusion, the simultaneous washout of two inert gases of differing diffusivity was investigated in isolated-perfused dog gastrocnemius preparations. The muscles were equilibrated with CH4 and SF6 via arterial blood. The washout kinetics were determined from venous blood samples analyzed by gas chromatography. The results revealed the following features: The washout of the test gases was pronouncedly multi-exponential, and could be described by three exponential components when analyzed to 5% of the initial value. The non-exponential washout was attributed to unequal distribution of capillary blood flow to tissue volume. The mean ratio of washout rate constants CH4/SF6 was within 1.10-1.25 and was even smaller than the ratio expected for pure perfusion limitation (1.46). Therefore, no evidence for effective tissue-blood diffusion limitation was obtained. The observed washout rate constant ratio could be explained by a model with veno-arterial back diffusion which more strongly retards washout kinetics of the better diffusible gas (CH4) as compared to the less diffusible gas (SF6).