[Changes in peripheral blood flow during the acute period of severe cranio-cerebral injury (quantitative study)]

The results of a quantitative investigation of the circulation rate and peripheral vascular resistance effected by the method of venous occlusive plethysmography in 37 patients with severe cerebro-cranial injuries are reported. A correlative dependance of changes in the peripheral hemodynamics on the clinical manifestations of a traumatic brain lesion was disclosed. At this juncture three types of the peripheral blood flow changes that corresponded to the syndromes observed were recognized, namely: infra-axial, supra-axial and, pre-eminently, hemispheral ones. The grossest alterations were seen to occur in the case of the infra-axial syndrome of the affection, which manifested themselves in a steep decline of the circulation rate and an appreciable increase of the peripheral vascular resistance.