1. Breathing in mammals is a result of the buildup of CO2 as they do not have di
ID: 855415 • Letter: 1
Question
1. Breathing in mammals is a result of the buildup of CO2 as they do not have direct physiological sensors for p02. Skindivers often hyperventilate (breath rapidly and deeply) for several minutes just before their dive because they believe that this will increase the amount of 02 in their blood. This belief arises from the fact that hyperventilating expels large amounts of CO2 from the blood. Based on what you now know about hemoglobin, is the hyperventilation ritual a useful procedure? Is it safe? Explain your answers.Explanation / Answer
Hyperventilation is not a safe technique as it increases the pH of the blood making it alkaline in nature. This phenomenon is called respiratory alkosis. Hyperventilation cause a number of physical symptoms: dizziness, tingling in the lips, hands or feet, headache, weakness, fainting and seizures. The technique which the divers use is hyperpnea which pertains to an increased minute ventilation. In hyperpnea, increased ventilation is appropriate for a metabolic acidotic state (also known as respiratory compensation) whereas in hyperventilation, increased ventilation is inappropriate for the metabolic state of blood plasma.
Divers use the hyperpnea technique to increase the oxygen amount in the blood stream whcih is marginally greater than normal.
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