# Do the cells in veins need oxygen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 14, 2003, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-cells-in-veins-need-oxygen/201557 "2003-09-14T13:23:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-cells-in-veins-need-oxygen/201557/1 "2003-09-14T13:23:43Z")
If the cells in the veins in a human body need oxygen, how do they get it? ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-cells-in-veins-need-oxygen/201557/2 "2003-09-14T13:48:14Z")
From the lungs. Oxygen is passed into the blood. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-cells-in-veins-need-oxygen/201557/3 "2003-09-14T13:51:46Z")
There’s a fair amount of oxygen in venous blood. Enough to supply venous tissue. It’s just low in oxygen compared to arterial blood, and it wouldn’t supply oxygen-hungry muscles or nervous tissue. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-cells-in-veins-need-oxygen/201557/4 "2003-09-14T15:50:33Z")
If I remember my biology corectly, the air we exhale is around 15% oxygen (compared to 21% for ambient atmospheric air). It’s enough to oxygenate the blood of a victim during rescue breathing, or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-cells-in-veins-need-oxygen/201557/5 "2003-09-14T15:54:52Z")
Venous oxygen saturation is generally over 50%. Oxygen concentration of exhaled gas generally doesn’t enter into it. Arterial oxygen saturation should be in excess of 90%. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-cells-in-veins-need-oxygen/201557/6 "2003-09-16T23:41:37Z")
Ok, we’re leaving out something important here. Yes the veinous blood contain O2 and yes a little of it is absorbed by the inner cells of the inner layer of the vein/artery. But they are too thick to be completely perfused without vessels themselves. Veins and arteries are like ogres and onions (they have layers). So there are these vessels for the vessels called vaso vasorum. The vaso vasorum are like capillaries for your vessels and make sure every cell in the vein get’s its O2 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-cells-in-veins-need-oxygen/201557/7 "2003-09-17T00:37:32Z")
The vaso vasorum does not supply the intima (innermost lining) of the veins. **Bear\_Nenno** is quite correct though, that it does supply the media and adventitia, the parts further away from the venous blood flow, with oxygen. The intima is supplied with oxygen via the venous blood for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-cells-in-veins-need-oxygen/201557/8 "2003-09-17T02:28:10Z")
Perhaps a hijack… but, yesterday I was wondering how the cells in my cornea and cristaline get oxygen and nutrients… anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-cells-in-veins-need-oxygen/201557/9 "2003-09-17T03:06:09Z")
corneal cells get oxygen directly from the outside environment, via diffusion. That’s why you need gas-permeable contact lenses if you wear them for any length of time. Otherwise the corneas get hypoxic and die. If you had capillaries feeding corneas, they’d affect the vision. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-cells-in-veins-need-oxygen/201557/10 "2003-09-17T03:09:39Z")
and nutrition is supplied via diffusion thru the inner surface and tears on the outer surface. Corneal cells don’t eat much; they are not real active metabolically. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-cells-in-veins-need-oxygen/201557/11 "2003-09-17T03:09:39Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Ale_ > **Perhaps a hijack… but, yesterday I was wondering how the cells in my cornea and cristaline get oxygen and nutrients… anyone?** The cornea gets oxygen from the air, which is why there are rules about when and how long you’re supposed to wear contact lenses. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-cells-in-veins-need-oxygen/201557/12 "2003-09-17T03:13:13Z")
You mean I breath thru my eyes??? Cool… 😃 I assume then that wearing swimming googles for too long would be bad too, right?