Blood flow rate in arteriovenous anastomoses: from the cradle to the grave

Blood flow rate was measured in the arteriovenous anastomoses (AVAs) in the cutaneous tissue of the pulp of the first toe in 15 children between 3 and 15 years old, and in the pulp of the thumb and the first toe in 16 adults between 27 and 93 years old (two subjects from each decade) by the heat-washout method. The examinations showed that AVA-blood flow rate decreased with increasing age, and the difference between children and adults was highly significant (P=0.001). Blood flow rate in the finger pulp was higher than in the toe pulp (P=0.025). No significant difference in blood flow rate was found in either thumb pulp or toe pulp between men and women.