ABSTRACT
The saturation of oxygen in arterial blood. Due to the sigmoid nature of the hemoglobin oxygen dissociation curve, 90% saturation is achieved when the
p
O
is approximately 7.6 kPa. When the p
O
falls below this, there is a sharp fall in s
O
. The three principal determinants of oxygen delivery to the tissues are s
O
, the hemoglobin concentration, and the cardiac output.
