The fate of 257 consecutive patients (100 women) aged 36-85 years (mean 65) first seen with intermittent claudication in 1977 was analysed after a mean of 6-5 (SD 0-5) years. When first seen none of the patients complained of rest pain or had ulcers or gangrenous lesions on the feet.At follow up 113 ofthe patients (44%) had died. Causes of death were no different from those in the general population. Mortality was twice that of the general population matched for age and sex. Mortality among the men was twice that among the women. In men under 60 mortality was four times that expected.The rate of clinical progression of the arteriosclerotic disease (that is, rest pain or gangrene) of the worst affected leg was 7-5% in the first year after referral. Thereafter the rate was 2 2% a year. An ankle systolic blood pressure below 70 mm Hg, a toe systolic blood pressure below 40 mm Hg, or an ankle/arm pressure index below 50% were individually significantly associated with progression of the arteriosclerotic disease.These findings show the importance of peripheral blood pressure measurements in the management of patients with intermittent claudication due to arteriosclerotic disease.
Cooling of the scalp has been found to prevent hair loss following cytostatic treatment, but in order to obtain the hair preserving effect the subcutaneous temperature has to be reduced below 22 degrees C. In order to establish the relationship between epicutaneous and subcutaneous temperatures during cooling and rewarming and to measure the effect of scalp cooling on subcutaneous scalp blood flow, subcutaneous blood flow and epi- and subcutaneous temperatures were measured in the frontal region at the hairline border before and during cooling with a cooling helmet, during spontaneous rewarming of the cooling helmet and after removal of the rewarmed helmet in 10 normal subjects. Subcutaneous blood flow was reduced to about 25% of the postcooling control level during cooling. The flow was constantly reduced until the subcutaneous temperature exceeded 30-32 degrees C. A linear relationship between epicutaneous and subcutaneous temperatures could be demonstrated with the regression equation: s = 0.9 c + 4.9 (r = 0.99). In eight of the 10 subjects the subcutaneous temperature could be reduced below 22 degrees C with the applied technique. It is concluded that the hair preserving effect of scalp cooling during cytostatic treatment is mainly due to the metabolic effect of cooling, and only to a minor extent due to the flow reducing effect.
Four patients with bilateral arterial insufficiency were treated with i.v. hydroxyethylrutoside for three days (1.5 grs twice a day). All patients experienced relief of symptoms. By continuous registration of subcutaneous nutritional blood flow in the forefoot (by 133Xenon clearance technique) a significant increase in nutritional blood flow of 33% on the average during the second and third hour after medication could be demonstrated. The drug seems to be of use in treating subacute occlusions and thrombosis of arteries in the lower extremity.
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