Vascular responses in chain saw operators.

The intensive use of chain saws is associated with development of the hand-arm vibration syndrome (vibration white finger). Objective testing for cold induced vasospasm was carried out on the fingers of 12 chain saw operators and 12 matched control men from a similar working environment. Two of the chain saw operators tested positive for vasospasm in the laboratory and another three had an abnormal result. All of the control subjects tested negative. Measurements of finger blood flow at different temperatures and during vibration of the hand were similar in the chain saw operators and controls. Use of the chain saw did not cause significant alterations in the plasma concentrations of von Willebrand factor antigen in either the long or the short term.