Summary
In rats adapted to a simulated altitude of 3500 m cardiac output measured at hypoxia by the direct Fick principle was significantly lower than in the control animals (mean values 54.3 ml/min and 69.8 ml/min, resp.). The decrease of cardiac output was accompanied by an increase of arterio-venous O2 difference and a decrease of stroke volume in the adapted rats. It is suggested that the decrease of cardiac output might be related to the increase of hematocrit. The adapted rats also showed higher arterial and mixed-venous O2 content (both at hypoxia) and increased O2 capacity. Arterial O2 saturation of the animals previously exposed to simulated high altitude hypoxia was significantly higher (67.3% as against 61.2% in the controls). The standard O2 dissociation curve showed lower oxygen affinity in the blood of the adapted animals but no physiological advantage concerning the transport of O2 to the tissues was found. In another group of animals the Bohr factor was estimated and no difference was found between rat and human blood.
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Turek, Z., Ringnalda, B.E.M., Hoofd, L.J.C. et al. Cardiac output, arterial and mixed-venous O2 saturation, and blood O2 dissociation curve in growing rats adapted to a simulated altitude of 3500 m. Pflugers Arch. 335, 10–18 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00586931
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00586931