COMPARISON OF TRANSCUTANEOUS OXYGEN-TENSION MEASUREMENTS AND ANKLE ARM INDEXES IN THE PERIOPERATIVE PERIOD/

Transcutaneous oxygen tensions (TcPO2) were compared with ankle blood pressures in 160 lower extremities of 36 diabetic and 48 nondiabetic p atients in the perioperative period. TcPO2 measurements were related t o regional perfusion indices (RPI) (RPI = TcPO2 foot/TcPO2 chest), and ankle pressures were used to calculate ankle/arm systolic pressure in dices (AAI). Severity of disease: Group I: claudication, 57/160 (36%); Group II: rest pain, 66/160 (41%); Group III: tissue loss, 37/160 (23 %). In Groups I, II, and III, preoperative mean AAI and RPI were 0.46, 0.23, 0.32 and 0.41, 0.21, 0.16, respectively. The net mean increases in AAI and RPI with revascularization for Groups I, II, and III were 0.42, 0.51, 0.41 and 0.46, 0.49, 0.62, respectively. Groups I, II, and III extremities exhibited drops in RPI with limb elevation both preop eratively and postoperatively, which averaged 0.06, 0.05, 0.14 and 0.1 6, 0.11, 0.14, respectively. The diabetic extremities, postoperatively , exhibited significantly greater drops in RPI (p < 0.05). RPI measure ments correlated more precisely than AAI with preoperatively and posto perative perfusion.