Stroke volume and cardiac output hypoxemic hypoxia produced by intravenous infusion of carbon dioxide.

Hypoxia produced by intravenous infusion of gaseous carbon dioxide was associated in conscious rabbits with decreases in cardiac output and stroke volume. At the same time the arterial blood pressure, oxygen uptake and blood pH decreased, whereas carbon dioxide pressure and lactate level in the arterial blood increased. Pulmonary ventilation increased too, due to the rise in the respiratory frequency and tidal volume. The fall in cardiac output and stroke volume explains a great fall of oxygen uptake in response to decrease of oxygen pressure in the blood.