The effect on responsivity of the PtcO2 electrode by an increased pressure on the electrode membrane

At application of the electrode for continuous transcutaneous oxygen monitoring, a superatmospheric pressure may be produced between the skin and the electrode membrane. Such a pressure may change the electrode characteristics resulting in a slower reacting electrode. A superatmospheric pressure may also influence on the subepidermal capillaries and on the oxygen diffusion through the skin. The results in the current in vitro study show that an increase of the pressure between the electrode membrane and the skin results in a slower reacting electrode, only when the pressure also produces an increased diffusion distance from the capillaries to the electrode membrane. Thus, the PtcO2 electrode seems rather rough and different PtcO2 levels recorded among patients or in the same patient at two applications are not produced by the application procedure per se but by physiological differences in the skin at the electrode application site.