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Updated: Nov 24, 2025

An Alternative to the Traditional Cold Pressor Test: The Cold Pressor Arm Wrap
Published on: January 16, 2014
An Interesting Case of a Cold Left Arm
Laura Hmiel1,2, Attila Nemeth2
1Internal Medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, USA.
Insights
Blood pressure differences between arms can indicate arterial disease. Left subclavian artery thrombosis can compromise internal mammary artery flow, causing ischemic ventricular tachycardia.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Vascular Surgery
- Interventional Cardiology
Background:
- Inter-arm blood pressure variability suggests arterial disease proximal to the brachial artery.
- Differential diagnoses include thoracic aortic dissection, atherosclerosis, thoracic outlet syndrome, and subclavian artery stenosis or thrombosis.
- In patients with prior coronary artery bypass grafting using the internal mammary artery, these conditions can compromise coronary blood flow, leading to myocardial ischemia.
Abstract:
Inter-arm variability in blood pressure readings typically signifies arterial disease between the aortic arch and the subclavian artery. The differential diagnosis includes thoracic aortic dissection, atherosclerosis, thoracic outlet syndrome, and subclavian artery stenosis and thrombosis. In patients with prior coronary artery bypass grafting, including the internal mammary artery, several of those conditions can compromise coronary blood flow and lead to myocardial ischemia. Here we discuss a case of left subclavian artery thrombosis, which compromised left internal mammary artery blood flow and led to ischemic ventricular tachycardia.
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