Relationship of muscle surface pH to noninvasive hemodynamic studies in arterial occlusive diseases.

ABSTRACT

To examine the possible relationship between Doppler pressures (DP) and pulse volume amplitude (PVR) with muscle surface pH (pHm), we studied 20 patients before, during, and after arterial reconstruction. The mean pHm for the claudication, rest pain, and ischemic gangrene groups differed from a control group and from each other. The pHm varied directly with DP and PVR for the 20 patients as a whole. After reconstructive surgery, improvement in pHm seemed to precede changes in DP and PVR in six patients with combined segment disease. Although pHm correlates generally with DP and PVR, it is invasive. Therefore, pHm should not be used as a routine screening test. Whereas DP and PVR may reflect the anaerobic activity of peripheral tissue, they may be less prompt than pHm in responding to acute changes in blood flow.