WHAT IS HEMATOSIS? (GAS EXCHANGE PROCESS) - ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY - 2025

The hematosis is a process consisting of a gas exchange between pulmonary alveoli and pulmonary capillaries which surround. It is one of the procedures of the respiratory system.

If the process of hematosis does not occur, you cannot breathe. Inhaled oxygen moves from the lung alveoli into the blood within the capillaries and carbon dioxide moves from the blood in the capillaries to the air within the alveoli.

That is, the purpose of this exchange is to achieve a balance between the gases in the bloodstream and in the alveoli.

Too much oxygen is toxic, as is having very high amounts of carbon dioxide. Each gas moves from the place where there is more of it, to the place where there is less.

Example: When running or doing some physical activity, exertion causes us to lose more oxygen than usual. This is why our breathing becomes erratic, as the body needs to fill up with oxygen quickly and get rid of the dioxide just as quickly.

This is normalized by the time oxygen-carbon dioxide balance is achieved in the lungs and alveoli.

How is hematosis related to breathing?

The moment oxygen is inhaled, it enters the lungs and reaches the alveoli.

Between the alveoli and the capillaries, there are layers of cells that are very close to each other but are so small that oxygen crosses this cellular barrier into the blood in the pulmonary capillaries.

In the same way, carbon dioxide passes from the blood to the alveoli and at that moment exhalation occurs.

By the time the person exhales, the air inside the alveoli that is now filled with carbon dioxide leaves the lungs and returns to the environment. It is there that the cycle of respiration occurs.

When the blood is oxygenated, it travels through the pulmonary veins, from the lungs to the left side of the heart, which is responsible for pumping blood to the rest of the body.

The carbon dioxide-rich (oxygen-deficient) part of the bloodstream will return to the right side of the heart to pump blood through the pulmonary arteries to the lungs, where it picks up oxygen and releases carbon dioxide.

Organs used in the process of hematosis and respiration

When we take an inhale, the air enters through our nose and goes down the windpipe. The trachea branches into two parts, each of these parts are tubes called bronchi, these are responsible for the air reaching the lungs.

The lungs have divisions, the right lung consists of 3 lobes that form it while the left lung consists of only 2 of them.

Because the heart is in the center-left part of the chest, the left lung is slightly smaller than the right to allow room for the heart.

The lung lobes have small spongy sacs inside that are filled with air, these are the alveoli and are lined with pulmonary capillary tissue (the pulmonary capillaries).

Each lung has approximately 350 million alveoli, which make hematosis and respiration possible.

One of the main jobs of the lungs is to filter the air to obtain oxygen, the oxygen passes into the blood and the blood is responsible for delivering oxygen to each tissue of your body, it is there when the person can carry out the functions most important parts of your body.

The delivery of oxygen to every organ, muscle, and cell found throughout the body is not just dependent on the lungs.

It depends in the same way on the ability of the blood to carry oxygen and the ability of the circulation to transport blood to every corner of the body.

The circulatory system is the connector between the atmosphere that is filled with oxygen and each cell that consumes it.

What are the processes required for oxygen transfer?

Like all functions in the body, the transfer of oxygen that results in hematosis must go through a process in order to complete without fail.

This process consists of 3 extremely important and essential parts: ventilation, diffusion and perfusion.

Ventilation

It consists of the system that the respiratory system uses so that air moves in and out of the lungs.

Diffusion

It refers to the natural movement of gases, without requiring the use of any effort or work of the body, between the gas in the alveoli and the blood in the pulmonary capillaries.

These actions occur spontaneously, without any influence beyond that occurring within the lungs.

Perfusion

It is the way in which the cardiovascular system pumps blood throughout the lungs.

When does hematosis occur and how much air is needed to carry it out?

Because hematosis is a key point in breathing and we breathe at all times, the process of hematosis is continuous and happens always, even when sleeping.

With each inhalation, approximately 2 gallons of air (7.5 l.) Per minute pass into and from the lungs, and part of that amount is used to exchange gases between the alveoli and capillaries.

But, if the body is exerting physical effort, the figure rises to about 26 gallons of air (23 l.) Per minute.

The amount of oxygen used by the body is relative to the amount of energy that the body is using, so when you exercise you breathe faster.

References

1. Ferng, A. Alveoli. Extracted from kenhub.com.
2. Calareso, J. Gas Exchange in the Human Respiratory System. Extracted from study.com.
3. The Hospital for Sick Children. Gas exchange. Extracted from aboutkidshealth.com.
4. Lechtzin, N. Exchanging Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide. Extracted from msdmanuals.com.
5. Peek-a-boo Kidz. (2016) Respiratory system. The Dr. Binocs Show, Extracted from youtube.com.
6. Saladin, K. (2006) Anatomy & Physiology: The Unity of Form and Function. Fourth Edition. McGraw-Hill Science.