A haemodynamic model for the physiological interpretation of in vivo measurements of the concentration and oxygen saturation of haemoglobin

We present a model that describes the effect of physiological parameters such as the speed of blood flow, local oxygen consumption, capillary recruitment, and vascular dilation/constriction on the concentration and oxygen saturation of haemoglobin in tissue. This model can be used to guide the physiological interpretation of haemodynamic and oximetric data collected in vivo with techniques such as optical imaging, near-infrared spectroscopy and functional magnetic resonance imaging. In addition to providing a formal description of well-established results (exercise-induced hyperemia, reperfusion hyperoxia, decrease in the concentration of deoxyhaemoglobin induced by brain activity, measurement of arterial saturation by pulse oximetry, etc.), this model suggests that the superposition of asynchronous contributions from the arterial, capillary and venous haemoglobin compartments may be at the origin of observed out-of-phase oscillations of the oxyhaemoglobin and deoxyhaemoglobin concentrations in tissue.