Table 1

Values pertinent to arterial oxygen carriage in the term fetus, male high-altitude climbers at 8,400 meters on Mount Everest, and typical adult male

Term fetus

Climbers at 8,400 meters^a

'Typical' adult male

PaO₂, kPa

2.5-3.5

3.28

13.3

SaO₂, percentage

65

54

98

PaCO₂, kPa

5.3-6.6

1.77

4.7-6.0

pH

7.25-7.35

7.53

7.35-7.45

Hb, g/dL

16.6

19.3

15.0

P50, kPa

2.5

3.6

3.5

CaO₂, mL/L

150

145

200

^aGrocott and colleagues [3]. CaO₂, arterial oxygen content; Hb, hemoglobin concentration; P50, the arterial partial pressure of oxygen at which 50% of hemoglobin is saturated with oxygen; PaCO₂, arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide; PaO₂, arterial partial pressure of oxygen; SaO₂, arterial oxygen saturation.

Martin et al. Critical Care 2010 14:315   doi:10.1186/cc9078