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Cornell Pediatrics

Oxygen Content

Calculate the oxygen content given the PaO2, SaO2, and the hemoglobin (Hgb).

Input Hemoglobin  gm/dL
Input SaO2  %
Input PaO2  torr
   
   
Oxygen Content  = 

 

The equation is:

CaO2 = 1.36 * Hgb *
SaO2
+ 0.0031 * PaO2
100

The constant, 1.36, is the amount of oxygen (ml at 1 atmosphere) bound per gram of hemoglobin. The exact value of this constant varies from 1.34 to 1.39, depending on the reference and the way it is derived. The constant 0.0031 represents the amount of oxygen dissolved in plasma. The dissolved oxygen term is generally small relative to the hemoglobin-bound oxygen, but becomes significant at very high PaO2 (as in a hyperbaric chamber) or in severe anemia.

 

Created: January 7, 2000
Revised: October 19, 2000

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