Coronary circulation · Physiology

Why is myocardial oxygen extraction already high at rest?

  1. Chronically low coronary blood flow
  2. High hemoglobin oxygen affinity
  3. High myocardial metabolic activity
  4. Poor tissue diffusion capacity
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Correct answer: High myocardial metabolic activity

The myocardium has high basal metabolic activity. As a result, it extracts a large proportion of delivered oxygen even at rest.

Difficulty: Medium Question 6 of 20

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