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Oxygen and the delivery of oxygen are two concepts important to understanding normal human physiology. Oxygen is required for the process to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy required to fuel the body and its many functions. This is accomplished via aerobic metabolism, the process in which oxygen taken into the body via the respiratory system combines with glucose to make ATP. The by-products of this process are water and carbon dioxide (CO2). [1] The adequate delivery of oxygen at the most basic level depends on two elements: minute volume and cardiac output. The respiratory system and the cardiovascular system are the key systems that make normal human physiology possible. The respiratory system provides adequate minute volume, which ensures adequate arterial oxygen content (CaO2). The cardiovascular system circulates the oxygen-rich blood to the end-organ tissues by ensuring adequate cardiac output (CO) to meet metabolic demand. | |
