A PRACTICAL, SYSTEMATIC LABORATORY APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF THE PERIPHERAL CIRCULATION

Abstract

Electronic digital and segmental limb pneumoplethysmographs and thermistor thermometers were employed. These instruments were useful in studying the lower extremities in patients with obstructive and/or functional arterial disease, the upper extremities in patients with diseases such as Raynaud''s syndrome, pulseless disease, cold sensitivity, etc., patients before and after sympathectomy, the degree of nicotine sensitivity, the pharmacology of various drugs, the blood flow to muscle, diseases of the venous system of the upper and lower extremities, and patients with certain primary cardiac diseases. The method be used for clinical purposes, but it is also an excellent tool for studying physiologic cardiovascular phenomena.