For every 1°C increase in temperature, the multiplying factor for pO2 is:

• A. 7
• B. 3
• C. 1
• D. 0.5

Answer: (A)

Temperature strongly affects how much oxygen can be carried dissolved in solution and how readily oxygen is released to tissues. In some clinical chemistry problems, a quick way to account for this is to apply a temperature correction factor to pO2. The model used in this question treats the change in pO2 with each 1°C rise as a large, multiplicative adjustment, about 7 times per degree. That’s why the best choice is 7. The other factors (3, 1, 0.5) imply much weaker or opposite effects and don’t fit the assumed temperature- correction relationship used in this context.