Blood flow/Carbon dioxide question

[rskhan29]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

After the blood picks up CO2 from the capillaries, does the Partial pressure of CO2 rise as the blood goes from the venules to the vena cava?

I thought it would, because at the vena cava we would have the accumulated CO2 from all the different tissues in the body. However, a question in EK states that this is not true. Instead, it says that the partial pressure of the two should be the same because the "CO2 has nowhere to go".

Is this an error in the EK, where they've neglected to consider the further accumulation of CO2? Or is my reasoning wrong?

 

[spyderracing32]

Think about the relation of pressure to surface area.

 

[rskhan29]

Okay, so blood pressure drops. I guess I should have asked this instead:

Does the blood concentration of CO2 increase as we move from a venule to the vena cava?

 

[TieuBachHo]

1)After picking up CO2 from capillaries, The partial pressure of CO2 will remain the same afterward until it get dumped out in the lung.

2)What is the definition of concentration? The moles of CO2 would increase as well as the volume of the solution.

 

[rskhan29]

1)After picking up CO2 from capillaries, The partial pressure of CO2 will remain the same afterward until it get dumped out in the lung.

2)What is the definition of concentration? The moles of CO2 would increase as well as the volume of the solution.

Thanks. Yeah, I meant MOL/litre but you've answered my question.