Expiratory and arterial partial pressure relations under different ventilation-perfusion conditions.

Inert tracer gas exchange across the human respiratory system is simulated in an asymmetric lung model for different oscillatory breathing patterns. The momentary volume-averaged alveolar partial pressure (PA), the expiratory partial pressure (PE), the mixed expiratory partial pressure (PE), the end-tidal partial pressure (PET), and the mean arterial partial pressure (Pa), are calculated as functions of the blood-gas partition coefficient (lambda) and the diffusion coefficient (D) of the tracer gas. The lambda values vary from 0.01 to 330.0 inclusive, and four values of D are used (0.5, 0.22, 0.1, and 0.01). Three ventilation-perfusion conditions corresponding to rest and mild and moderate exercise are simulated. Under simulated exercise conditions, we compute a reversed difference between PET and Pa compared with the rest condition. This reversal is directly reflected in the relation between the physiological dead space fraction (1--PE/Pa) and the Bohr dead space fraction (1--PE/PET). It is argued that the difference (PET--Pa) depends on the lambda of the tracer gas, the buffering capacity of lung tissue, and the stratification caused by diffusion-limited gas transport in the gas phase. Finally some determinants for the reversed difference (PET--Pa) and the significance for conventional gas analysis are discussed.