Effects of pentoxifylline and papaverine on tissue perfusion during arterial surgery

This work was undertaken to investigate the effects of intraarterially administered pentoxifylline (100 mg) and papaverine (40 mg) on transcutaneous oxygen tension, calf muscle oxygen tension and skin red cell flux in ischemic limbs of patients undergoing aortofemoral reconstruction due to obstructive arteriosclerosis. The drugs were injected intraoperatively, one at a time, into the common femoral artery of the most affected side before and/or after the insertion of the prosthesis in altogether 10 patients. Both drugs appeared to have an augmenting effect on transcutaneous and muscle tissue oxygen tensions. The maximal response of these variables was usually higher after papaverine injection, but the duration of the effect was longer after pentoxifylline administration. Skin red cell flux underwent an immediate, short-term increase after each papaverine injection, but remained unchanged after pentoxifylline administration.