Calf blood flow at rest and during postocclusive reactive hyperaemia was measured using an electrocardiogram-triggered plethysmograph in 14 patients with polycythaemia (nine with primary disease and five with polycythaemia secondary to cyanotic heart disease) before and after a course of venesection. The mean packed cell volume was reduced from 0.57 to 0.47, and whole-blood viscosity fell by 50...

The measurement of limb blood flow at rest and during reactive hyperaemia has potential as a marker of vascular health and endothelial function because it is the stimulus that causes flow-mediated dilatation, commonly measured as brachial arterial reactivity. Because the flow increases are short lived, they represent a significant challenge for measurement by cardiovascular magnetic resonance. ...

INTRODUCTION First lesions to occur in the course of systemic sclerosis (SSc) involve microcirculation. AIM The study involved assessment of the suitability of laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) in examination of the performance of skin microcirculation in the distal portion of the upper extremity in SSc patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Overall the study involved 27 patients with systemic sclerosi...

Background Post-occlusive reactive hyperaemia (PORH) is a measurement of the vasodilatory capacity of the microvasculature that is associated with cardiovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease and foot ulceration. Reliability of its measurement in the toe for clinical and research purposes has not been adequately assessed. This study assesses both the intra and inter-tester reliability of...

INTRODUCTION Disturbances in microcirculatory homeostasis have been hypothesized to play a key role in the pathophysiology of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and vasopressor-associated ischemic skin lesions. The effects of a supplementary arginine vasopressin (AVP) infusion on microcirculation in vasodilatory shock and postoperative multiple organ dysfunction syndrome are unknown. METHOD ...