Relationships between oxygen and carbon dioxide tensions and acid-base balance in arterial blood and in medullary blood from long bones in dogs.

By means of an invasive technique the relations between arterial and medullary gas tensions PO2 and PCO2), and arterial and medullary acid-base balance (pH and standard bicarbonate) were determined in long bones in seven anaesthetized dogs. A semilogarithmic correlation was found between the arterial oxygen tension and the oxygen tension in the medullary blood. Between the arterial carbon dioxide tension and the medullary blood carbon dioxide tension a linear correlation was demonstrated A linear correlation was also found between arterial pH and standard bicarbonate values and the corresponding values obtained from medullary blood. With regard to the parameters investigated no difference was demonstrated between epiphyseal, metaphyseal or diaphyseal medullary blood.