Evaluating the oxygen diffusing capacity of maximally stimulated canine muscle

A series of studies over the past several years has been concerned with O2 consumption in the gastrocnemius muscle of the dog. Those experiments indicate that the maximal O2 consumption may be diffusion limited and suggest that such data can be correlated using a parameter, the O2 diffusing capacity, that combines different effects. An analysis of those data is presented here with use of multiple linear regression techniques, which indicate that, even if the experimental conditions are different, the diffusing capacity can be quantitatively evaluated if the blood flow rate, hemoglobin content, and blood pressure are known. Although the data are for a specific tissue, similar results might be expected when O2 consumption is considered in other tissues.