The ways in which oxygen (O₂) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) are carried in the blood are well known and well understood, with a plethora of textbooks, both general and lung specific, all presenting the topic in a very similar manner. This first of two companion chapters similarly summarizes this information. First, carriage of gases by physical solution is described, followed by discussion of O₂, carbon monoxide, and CO₂ transport in that order. However, what available texts have not emphasized is why knowing how gases are carried in blood matters, and the second, companion, chapter specifically addresses that critical aspect of gas exchange physiology. In fact, each of the chapters in this volume describes physiological behavior that depends more or less directly on the dissociation curves of O₂ and CO₂.

血液中携带氧气 (O 2 ) 和二氧化碳 (CO 2 ) 的方式是众所周知且易于理解的，大量教科书（无论是普通教科书还是肺部专用教科书）都以非常相似的方式介绍_了该_主题。两个配套章节中的第一章同样总结了这些信息。首先，描述物理溶液对气体的运输，然后按顺序讨论O ₂、一氧化碳和CO _2运输。然而，现有的文本没有强调的是为什么了解气体在血液中如何携带很重要，第二章（配套章节）专门讨论了气体交换生理学的关键方面。事实上，本卷中的每一章都描述了或多或少直接取决于 O ₂和 CO ₂解离曲线的生理行为。