Oxygen Tension of Tissues by the Polarographic Method

Abstract

Simultaneous measurements of skin oxygen tension by polarography and skin temperature by thermocouple were made in patients with peripheral arterial disease and in individuals with normal extremities over a range of skin temperature of 10 to 50 C. The oxygen tension of the skin was found to increase as the skin temperature was raised to about normal body temperature in the ischemic extremity and to significantly higher temperature in the normal extremity. Possible reasons for these changes are discussed.