Respiratory gas exchange in the rat spleen in situ and intrasplenic oxyhemoglobin saturation.

Measurements of splenic respiratory gas exchange and of HbO2 saturations in the red pulp of the rat spleen have shown that there are no indications of a reduced intrasplenic O2 availability during normoxia. The present studies provide evidence that, in the normal spleen, the intrasplenic sequestration of red blood cells cannot be explained by an O2 deficiency in the red pulp since the commonly accepted notion of an intrasplenic hypoxia is not true.