Tom is choking on a piece of steak that is stuck in his trachea,and he signals for his young son to call 911.It takes the paramedics four minutes to reach his house.Will this be in time to save Tom (and why),or will Tom already be dead (and why)?
A)Tom will be alive since the myoglobin in his muscles will release oxygen into the blood after he stops breathing.
B)Tom will be dead due to the lowered pH of his blood.
C)Tom will be alive since he had a reserve of about three-quarters of his hemoglobin still bound to oxygen when he started choking.
D)Tom will be dead since all the hemoglobin in his arterial blood will unload its oxygen during the first pass through the tissues after his last breath.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When Tom started choking, he had a reserve of about three-quarters of his hemoglobin still bound to oxygen. Hemoglobin is responsible for carrying oxygen in the blood, and having this reserve oxygen allowed Tom to continue to have oxygen circulated throughout his body despite the blockage in his trachea. Therefore, the paramedics arriving four minutes later should still be in time to save Tom's life.

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