The venous–arterial difference in CO2 should be interpreted with caution in case of respiratory alkalosis in healthy volunteers

The venous–arterial difference in CO2 ($Δ$CO2) has been proposed as an index of the adequacy of tissue perfusion in shock states. We hypothesized that the variation in PaCO2 (hyper- or hypocapnia) could impact $Δ$CO2, partly through microcirculation …