Indirect measurement of skin blood flow and transcutaneous oxygen tension in patients with peripheral vascular disease.

The transcutaneous oxygen monitor was used in the vascular laboratory to give an objective measurement of the severity of arteriosclerotic disease in patients presenting with intermittent claudication. With the electrode operating at 44 degrees C on the leg, patients and normal volunteers performed treadmill exercises. It was observed that the resulting electrode heat consumption correlated closely with the degree of exercise. Claudicants, however, showed smaller changes than the normal group, the relationship forming an index of the severity of the disease.