Intensive Care Network Podcasts

Basic Science Clinic by Steve Morgan & Sophie Connolly What we know is not much. What we do not know is immense. Pierre-Simon Laplace Welcome to Basic Science Clinic Raw Science 7. As a prelude to deconstructing gas exchange we have been examining how humans, as tidal ventilators, replenish the composition of the gas in the functional residual capacity to provide a plentiful oxygen repository to buffer fluctuations in the oxygen content of blood leaving the lung with every beat of the heart. Convective, pressure gradient driven, bulk gas volume displacement can only occur if the displacing force is greater than the forces that oppose gas flow. These oppositional forces are the physiological targets of pathological processes that affect the lung, that alter pulmonary mechanics, increase work of breathing eventually critically compromising respiratory function and indicating the need for respiratory support measures. To effectively manage organ system dysfunction it is vital to develop an intimate understan