Relationship Between A Range of Tissue Temperature and Local Oxygen Uptake in the Human Forearm. II. Changes Observed After Arterial Occlusion, in the Period of Reactive Hyperemia12

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Abstract
The effect of local heating and cooling on the excess oxygen uptake of the tissues of the forearm following a five-minute period of arterial occlusion was determined on 23 healthy subjects by use of the Fick principle. With prolonged exposure of the forearm to a bath temperature of 45[degree]C, the mean tissue temperature rose from a control level of 36.0[degree] C to 39.3[degree]. Under the latter circumstances the excess oxygen uptake during reactive hyperemia was an average of 0.80 cc/100 cc of limb volume. With prolonged exposure of the forearm to a bath temperature of 17[degree]C the tissue temperature fell to an average of 26.8[degree]. Under these circumstances the excess oxygen uptake during reactive hyperemia was 0.41 cc/100 cc of limb volume. The difference at the two bath temperatures was significant. It was concluded that experimentally depressing the local tissue temperature of the forearm from an artificially elevated level definitely decreased the oxygen debt incurred in a period of arterial occlusion and subsequently repaid during reactive hyperemia.