Electromagnetic measurements of metacarpal blood flow in nonanesthetized horses.

Blood flow (milliliter/minute) was measured in the medial palmar artery of 12 horses, using electromagnetic flow equipment. Extraluminal flow probes were surgically placed around the artery and base-line blood flows were recorded during surgical manipulation. After horses had recovered from anesthesia, blood flows were recorded each day for 11 days. According to mean average blood flows, horses were allotted to two groups: group 1--those with predominately normal flow characteristics, and group 2--those horses with predominately abnormal flow features. Average daily mean blood flows in the medial palmar artery (QPA) of group 1 horses were 103 ml/min (min-max, 10 to 210), and for group 2, 49 ml/min (min-max, 0 to 300).