The Krogh cylinder does not exist as an actual anatomical structure; it is only a model that can be used to explain the oxygen pressure field. The lethal corner is also only a theoretical concept within the model. However as perfused capillary density changes, inadequately perfused tissues can become anoxic and hypercapnic. An indirect clinical measurement of the magnitude of the of these inadequately perfused tissues (the lethal corner) can be made using common and routine laboratory tests. The quantitative assessment of the lethal corner can be useful in many ways; assessing the potential for reperfusion injury, timing extracorporeal intervention, assessing the effectiveness of extracorporeal intervention, and predicting survival. That discussion is continued in Session 2.
Perfusion Theory is an educational platform for the Oxygen Pressure Field Theory (OPFT). August Krogh’s theoretical concept of the oxygen pressure field is explained and then applied to clinical applications in perfusion practice.