Download – Oxygen Delivery

In order to survive, humans have to be able to extract oxygen from the atmosphere and transport it to their cells where it is utilised for essential metabolic processes. Some cells can produce energy without oxygen (anaerobic metabolism) for a short time, although it is inefficient. Other organs, for example the brain, are made up of cells that can only produce the energy necessary for survival in the presence of a continual supply of oxygen (aerobic metabolism). Tissues differ in their ability to withstand anoxia (lack of oxygen) – the brain and the heart are the most sensitive.

Rob Law*, Henry Bukwirwa
*Correspondence Email: RobertLaw@rsh.nhs.uk