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The most important function of breathing is the supplying of oxygen to the body and balancing of the carbon dioxide levels. Under most conditions, the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO 2), or concentration of carbon dioxide, controls the respiratory rate.
Treatment with supplemental oxygen may improve their well-being; alternatively, in some this can lead to the adverse effect of elevating the carbon dioxide content in the blood (hypercapnia) to levels that may become toxic. [3] [4] With normal lung function, a stimulation to take another breath occurs when a patient has a slight rise in PaCO 2.
Cardiovascular fitness is a component of physical fitness, which refers to a person's ability to deliver oxygen to the working muscles, including the heart.Cardiovascular fitness is improved by sustained physical activity (see also Endurance Training) and is affected by many physiological parameters, including cardiac output (determined by heart rate multiplied by stroke volume), vascular ...
Continued low oxygen levels may lead to respiratory or cardiac arrest. Oxygen therapy may be used to assist in raising blood oxygen levels. Oxygenation occurs when oxygen molecules (O 2) enter the tissues of the body. For example, blood is oxygenated in the lungs, where oxygen molecules travel from the air and into the blood. Oxygenation is ...
As work of breathing increases, the additional carbon dioxide produce in doing this work pushes up the need for higher elimination rate, which is proportional to ventilation, in the case of negligible carbon dioxide in the inspired air. [24] Carbon dioxide production by the tissues is a simple function of tissue metabolism and oxygen consumption.
The breathing of all vertebrates with lungs consists of repetitive cycles of inhalation and exhalation through a highly branched system of tubes or airways which lead from the nose to the alveoli. [4] The number of respiratory cycles per minute is the breathing or respiratory rate, and is one of the four primary vital signs of life. [5]
Perfusion is the delivery of oxygen-rich blood to the body tissues through the lymphatic system or circulatory system. [6] The primary function of perfusion is the efficient removal of cellular waste and nutrition supply during gas exchange. Perfusion occurs during heart contraction when the oxygenated blood is pumped into the arteries.
The resting heart rate of a newborn can be 120 beats per minute (bpm) and this gradually decreases until maturity and then gradually increases again with age. The adult resting heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 bpm. Exercise and fitness levels, age and basal metabolic rate can all affect the heart rate. An athlete's heart rate can be lower than ...