Models for O2 and CO2 Transfer in Macroscopic Flow Channels and Their Physiological Implications

Membrane artificial lungs are capable of long term supplementation of the lung respiration processes. An increasing number of such commercial devices are becoming available for clinical use. Simultaneous with the development of practical units, a growing theoretical understanding has evolved of the convective-diffusive-reactive processes taking place in the macroscopic flow channels. Although the analytical progress had as its foundation the earlier physiology oriented investigations, recent advances in extracorporeal devices research have not been explored for their in vivo implications.