EFFECTS OF ACIDOSIS ON RESPIRATORY FUNCTION*

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Abstract
Summary and Conclusions: The net effect of acidosis on the respiratory apparatus is an elevation of ventilation‐perfusion ratios. Alveolar ventilation is augmented; perfusion of the well‐ventilated portion of the lung is enhanced, while perfusion of the poorly ventilated space is diminished. A larger volume of oxygen is made available for release to the tissues.Carbon dioxide has been shown to have no effect on the pulmonary vasculature or on the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve independent of the changes in hydrogen ion concentration it produces. Its role with respect to the control of ventilation has not yet clearly been defined.