The Peripheral Pulse Following Arterial Injury

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Abstract
Little attention has been paid to the persistence of the pulse following complete forearm arterial transection. No report has established the etiology or frequency of this phenomenon. Patients (18) with documented complete radial or ulnar artery transections were evaluated. Nine patients had persistently palpable pulses distal to the transections. Seven of the pulses were due to retrograde flow and 2 were due to transmission from the proximal arterial stump or large collaterals. The Allen test was accurate in demonstrating arterial occlusion in each case. Digital compression of the intact artery eliminated the pulse in those cases due to retrograde flow. Documentation of flow direction and collateral vessels was performed with the Doppler directional velocity meter. The fallibility of the peripheral pulse following complete arterial injury is stressed. The Allen test, digital compression of the intact artery and Doppler studies should be performed on patients with suspected arterial injuries. The exploration of all wounds in the region of major arteries from which profuse bleeding has occurred is recommended.

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