Venous plethysmography values in patients with spinal cord injury

To determine whether venous hemodynamics differ fundamentally between patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and the abled-bodied population, quantitation of lower extremity venous plethysmography values was performed in 14 SCI patients and ten able-bodied subjects. The control group had an average maximum venous outflow (MVO) of 59.3 +/- 2.75 mL/min/100mL of tissue, mean +/- SE, and an average venous capacitance (VC) of 3.2 +/- 0.13mL/100mL. In contrast, the SCI patients had an average MVO of 32.5 +/- 2.57mL/min/100mL and an average VC of 2.3 +/- 0.17mL/100mL. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant, suggesting that the standard venous function index of plethysmography values used in the general population may not be applicable to the SCI population and that, therefore, a new standard for SCI patients derived from a larger data base should be sought.