Vidya Sunil Joshi1, Sunil Subhash Joshi2. 1. Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. 2. Associate Professor, Department of Vascular Surgery, St Johns Medical College Hospital, Sarjapur Road, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Warmth to the extremity is known to improve the cutaneous blood flow and tissue perfusion. Oxygen is essential for healing of chronic wounds. Topical oxygen therapy has become standard therapy in management of lower extremity wounds. A combination of local heat and oxygen is likely to be beneficial in many clinical scenarios of non-healing wounds without any systemic effects. AIM: To evaluate the local and systemic effects of the exposure of extremity to warm oxygen in healthy volunteers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty one volunteers were included in the study. The index foot was exposed to oxygen 7l/min, 93%-95% concentration at temperature of 43oC for 90 minutes with the device. The following parameters such as basal and periprocedural blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, 24 lead ECG, temperatures at foot and plethysmographic waveforms from the index foot were measured. A NRS-11 questionnaire was asked to the patient to rate his or her pain from 0 to 10 and documented by health care worker at the end of the session. RESULTS: The skin temperature of index foot reached to 34oC from 32.9oC, (p=0.011). The average pulse amplitude changed from 39.8 mV to 79.8 mV over the duration of the experiment (p< 0.001). Overall heart rate and core body temperature decreased and not much change in blood pressure. CONCLUSION: The result of the study can be extrapolated to the healing of chronic non healing wounds using warm oxygen therapy. Further studies are required on patient population to prove benefits in clinical settings.
INTRODUCTION: Warmth to the extremity is known to improve the cutaneous blood flow and tissue perfusion. Oxygen is essential for healing of chronic wounds. Topical oxygen therapy has become standard therapy in management of lower extremity wounds. A combination of local heat and oxygen is likely to be beneficial in many clinical scenarios of non-healing wounds without any systemic effects. AIM: To evaluate the local and systemic effects of the exposure of extremity to warm oxygen in healthy volunteers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty one volunteers were included in the study. The index foot was exposed to oxygen 7l/min, 93%-95% concentration at temperature of 43oC for 90 minutes with the device. The following parameters such as basal and periprocedural blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, 24 lead ECG, temperatures at foot and plethysmographic waveforms from the index foot were measured. A NRS-11 questionnaire was asked to the patient to rate his or her pain from 0 to 10 and documented by health care worker at the end of the session. RESULTS: The skin temperature of index foot reached to 34oC from 32.9oC, (p=0.011). The average pulse amplitude changed from 39.8 mV to 79.8 mV over the duration of the experiment (p< 0.001). Overall heart rate and core body temperature decreased and not much change in blood pressure. CONCLUSION: The result of the study can be extrapolated to the healing of chronic non healing wounds using warm oxygen therapy. Further studies are required on patient population to prove benefits in clinical settings.
Authors: David G Greenhalgh; Mary Beth Lawless; Bradford B Chew; Willem A Crone; Michael E Fein; Tina L Palmieri Journal: J Burn Care Rehabil Date: 2004 Sep-Oct