Question

What are the 6 factors that contribute to PA (alveolar concentration of anesthetic gas)?

Answer 1

The factors that contribute to alveolar concentration of anesthetic gas are pulmonary blood flow, alveolar ventilation, solubility of the anesthetic, cardiac output, alveolar partial pressure, and ventilation-perfusion ratio.

Step-by-step explanation:

The factors that contribute to alveolar concentration of anesthetic gas are:

1. Pulmonary blood flow: A higher blood flow will deliver more anesthetic to the alveoli.
2. Alveolar ventilation: Increasing ventilation helps remove anesthetic gases from the alveoli.
3. Solubility of the anesthetic: Highly soluble anesthetic gases will take longer to reach equilibrium in the alveoli.
4. Cardiac output: Higher cardiac output will deliver more anesthetic gases to the alveoli.
5. Alveolar partial pressure: The concentration of anesthetic in the inspired gas affects the alveolar partial pressure.
6. Ventilation-perfusion ratio: If ventilation and blood flow are not well-matched, it can affect the distribution of anesthetic gases in the alveoli.