Influence of local and environmental temperatures on cutaneous circulation with use of laser Doppler flowmetry

The purpose of this study was to determine a standard set of conditions for detecting peripheral arteriosclerosis with ischemia. One series of studies was done to determine the influence of room temperature on peripheral flow in healthy subjects and patients with peripheral vascular disease. The room temperature was varied from 30 degrees to 35 degrees C. The temperature from 24 degrees to 30 degrees C had only minor effects on the circulation. Thus, it seemed appropriate to use a room temperature in the lower range, usually 23 degrees C. Another series of studies showed the effect of changing skin temperatures locally at the finger tip or toe tip on the plantar and volar surfaces in healthy subjects and in patients with peripheral vascular disease. Results showed that as temperature was increased from 10 degrees to 45 degrees, there was a marked increase in the finger and toe circulations, which was considerably greater in the normal subjects as compared with those with digital disease. The ideal temperature at which to work as a routine is 40 degrees C as opposed to the lower temperatures, which did not separate healthy subjects from patients with peripheral vascular disease. A third experiment was done to study normal subjects and patients by using the finger circulation as control against the toe circulation when the conditions were a local skin temperature of 40 degrees C and a room temperature of 23 degrees C. A toe-finger index was established to detect abnormalities in the circulation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)