Physio-mathematical aspects of blood oxygenation in lung capillaries (Q1072475)

A mathematical model for the oxygenation of blood is presented by taking into account the main transport mechanisms of molecular diffusion, convection and the facilitated diffusion. The four step kinetics based on the intermediate compound hypothesis of G. S. Adair is used for considering the sigmoidial oxyhaemoglobin saturation curve. The rate at which blood gets oxygenated is determined by setting up an appropriate eigenvalue problem. This method eventually leads to a transcendental equation. The smallest root of this determines the rate at which equilibrium is achieved, and is obtained numerically by using the method of bisection. A highly skilled multiprecision technique developed by \textit{S. B. Verma} and \textit{M. Sharan} [Software, Pract. Exper. 10, 163-173 (1980; Zbl 0427.68041)] is employed to obtain an acceptable solution of this problem. It has been found that the results based on four step kinetics are qualitatively more or less similar to those obtained for one step kinetics. The effects of various physical parameters such as diffusion coefficients of the species, speed of the blood, radius of the capillary, association and dissociation rate constants and partial pressure in alveolar air, on equilibrium length have been discussed. Finally, the effects of these results on some of the physiological situations such as mediation, muscular exercise, polluted environment, high altitude, fever etc. have been examined.