DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTER-AIDED THERMOELECTRIC PELTIER DEVICE FOR LOCAL COLD PROVOCATION TESTS WITH AN INTEGRATED PHOTOPLETHYSMOGRAPHIC SENSOR FOR THE NONINVASIVE EVALUATION OF ACRAL SKIN PERFUSION
T. Klyscz et al., DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTER-AIDED THERMOELECTRIC PELTIER DEVICE FOR LOCAL COLD PROVOCATION TESTS WITH AN INTEGRATED PHOTOPLETHYSMOGRAPHIC SENSOR FOR THE NONINVASIVE EVALUATION OF ACRAL SKIN PERFUSION, Biomedizinische Technik, 42(9), 1997, pp. 234-239
Local cold provocation tests are an important, non-invasive diagnostic
tool for collecting information about skin perfusion during exposure
to cold. In patients suffering from vasospastic circulatory disorders
such as Raynaud's phenomenon, it is of particular importance to be abl
e to collect data about acral circulation during the cooling test in t
he asymptomatic intervals between naturally occurring attacks. By carr
ying out a series of cold provocation tests, for example, patient resp
onse to a newly initiated therapy can be assessed. Here we present a r
ecently developed, computer-aided thermoelectric Peltier device with a
n integrated finger holder for carrying out local cold provocation tes
ts. The electronic control unit of the Peltier element make it possibl
e to cool or heat to predefined temperatures. At the same time, the te
mperature of both the finger holder and the skin can be measured. A ph
otoplethysmographic sensor is also integrated within the device, enabl
ing the response of the pulse waves to the controlled temperature chan
ges to be monitored accurately. It is also possible to measure simulta
neously laser Doppler flux and capillary pressure in the nailfold and
to perform nailfold capillaroscopy to-determine red blood cell velocit
y. The new device provides us with the technical means to study the in
terrelationship between acral skin perfusion and the thermal regulatio
n of the skin.