Factors affecting the tolerance of muscle circulation and function for increased tissue pressure

The tolerance of neuromuscular tissue for increased tissue pressure has been observed clinically to vary among individuals. In experimental operations on rabbits, various factors may affect tissue pressure tolerance. Arterial hypoxia, halothane anesthesia, local arterial occlusion, and acute hemorrhage each reduced the amount of pressure necessary to produce circulatory and functional deficits. Extrapolation of these observations suggest that patients with hemorrhage, arterial hypoxia, and peripheral vascular disease may be at greater risk from a given tissue pressure than patients without these conditions.