Abstract Background Oxygenation-sensitive (OS) Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance
(CMR) is a promising utility in the diagnosis of heart disease. Contrast in OS-CMR images is
generated through deoxyhemoglobin in the tissue, which is negatively correlated with the
signal intensity (SI). Thus, changing hematocrit levels may be a confounder in the
interpretation of OS-CMR results. We hypothesized that hemodilution confounds the
observed signal intensity in OS-CMR images. Methods Venous and arterial blood from five …