The effect of ethyl alcohol and chlorpromazine on the response of the hand blood vessels to cold

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Abstract
1. The response of hand blood flow to a measured cold stimulus was determined using venous occlusion plethysmography in normal subjects, before and after orally administered alcohol, and in patients on chlorpromazine therapy.2. The average resting hand blood flow of the patients taking chlorpromazine, as well as the constriction of these blood vessels to cold, was the same as in the normal subjects.3. Oral alcohol caused a rise in resting hand blood flow in the normal subjects and also modified the response of the hand blood vessels to cooling.4. A patient with a completely denervated hand was also studied. Oral alcohol did not increase the blood flow through the part, but it modified the hand vascular response to cold.5. These results suggest a diminished reactivity of the hand blood vessels to cold in the presence of alcohol.