Fundamentals of Biomedical Transport Processes

Transport processes represent important life-sustaining elements in all humans. These include mass transfer processes, including gas exchange in the lungs, transport across capillaries and alveoli, transport across the kidneys, and transport across cell membranes. These mass transfer processes affect how oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged in your bloodstream, how metabolic waste products are removed from your blood, how nutrients are transported to tissues, and how all cells function throughout the body. A discussion of kidney dialysis and gas exchange mechanisms is included. Another element in biomedical transport processes is that of momentum transport and fluid flow. This describes how blood is propelled from the heart and throughout the cardiovascular system, how blood elements affect the body, including gas exchange, infection control, clotting of blood, and blood flow resistance, which affects cardiac work. A discussion of the measurement of the blood resistance to flow (viscosity), blood flow, and pressure is also included. A third element in transport processes in the human body is that of heat transfer, including heat transfer inside the body towards the periphery as well as heat transfer from the body to the environment. A discussion of temperature measurements and body protection in extreme heat conditions is also included.