Finger temperature after a finger-cooling test: influence of air temperature and smoking

Skin temperature of one finger was measured before and after immersion of the gloved fingers of both hands in 16 degrees C water for 5 min [room temperature (Ta) 24 or 20 degrees C]. At Ta 24 degrees C, 23 of 25 normal nonsmokers (92%) had finger rewarming to above 24 degrees C in 12 min after cold immersion, at Ta 20 degrees C, only 1 of 12 (8%) had similar rewarming. Among 12 habitual smokers only 4 (33%) rewarmed above 24 degrees C (Ta 24 degrees C) following a 1-h abstinence from smoking, but 8 (67%) did so after a 24-h abstinence. Only 2 of these 8, however, did so in a retest 10 min after smoking a cigarette. The smokers were not tested at Ta 20 degrees C. We conclude that air temperature and cigarette smoking are important determinants of finger rewarming following a finger-cooling test.