Hemodynamic effects of prostacyclin infusions in healthy volunteers

The selective hemodynamic effects of an intravenous infusion of prostacyclin on skin and on forearm blood flow during increasing doses up to 6 ng.kg.-1 min.-1 were evaluated in 12 healthy volunteers. The highest dose raised total skin blood flow (p = 0.0001) as measured by laser Doppler with a concomitant rise in finger skin temperature (p = 0.02). Capillary perfusion as measured by transcutaneous oxygen monitoring remained relatively unaffected (p = 0.25). Cold-induced vasoconstriction and the recovery thereafter were not influenced. Diastolic blood pressure tended to decrease (p = 0.06), but there was no change in systolic blood pressure, forearm blood flow, and calculated forearm vascular resistance. The authors conclude that prostacyclin may have dissimilar vasoactive potencies in different vascular beds as shown by a pronounced increase in total skin blood flow, owing to vasodilation of shunt vessels, simultaneously with an insignificant change in nutritional skin blood flow and forearm muscle blood flow.