[The effect of age and activity on arterial oxygen pressure and arterial oxygen saturation in hospitalized patients]. / Het effect van leeftijd en activiteit op arteriële zuurstofspanning en arteriële zuurstofsaturatie bij gehospitaliseerde patiënten.

ABSTRACT

In order to obtain adequate normal values for arterial blood gas values, the effect of aging and activity was investigated by cross-sectional selection in an in-patient population of 108 patients aged between 20 and 90 years. The patients were free of pulmonary, cardiac and metabolic disease. Smoking and obesity were tolerated up to specified limits. Arterial blood was obtained during standardised resting and active states. The results show a clinically important and highly significant (p less than 0.001) decline of the oxygen tension (PaO2) with age and also a considerable effect of minor activity (p less than 0.01) on blood gas values. However, the relationship of both oxygen tension and oxygen saturation with age is not a linear function as suggested in previous studies. For the interpretation of arterial oxygen tension values or to define hypoxaemia, only normal values related to age and activity should be used. In the elderly, low levels of PaO2 are encountered regularly. Determination of the oxygen saturation may be helpful, especially in differentiating between a normal and a pathological state.