Finger skin temperature and laser-Doppler finger blood flow in subjects exposed to hand-arm vibration.
OBJECTIVE
This study was aimed to assess the peripheral circulatory functions of forestry workers exposed to hand-arm vibration, using simultaneous measurements of finger skin temperature (FST) and finger blood flow (FBF).


METHODS
The subjects were five men with vibration-induced white finger (VWF), four subjects with numbness in their hands and five exposed controls without any signs or symptoms related to vibration syndrome. Simultaneous measurements of FST and laser-Doppler FBF were performed before, during and following a 10-min recovery period after the hand was immersed in cold water (10 degrees C, 10 min). Partitional measurements of finger blood flows could be made between the capillaries and deeply located vessels using two laser-Doppler flow probes having narrower and wider optic fiber separations.


RESULTS
The FST as well as the FBF of the capillary and deeply located vessels during and following the cold immersion test in those with VWF and in the subjects with numbness had a slight increase immediately following the cold immersion and no tendency to be augmented as the time span increased. After the cold immersion test, the control group had significantly greater FST and FBF compared to other groups. Particularly, from the 5th to the 10th min after the cold provocation, the values of FBF of the deeply located vessels in those with VWF were significantly lower than the controls. During the course of observation, the FST had significantly linear relationship with the recorded capillary and deep FBF values, and that was much closely correlated with the deep FBF (i.e., P < 0.01 in each selected condition). The slope of the regression lines in the capillary were steeper and shallow in the deep FBF.


CONCLUSIONS
In addition to the measurement of capillary FBF, more detailed and accurate information on the peripheral circulatory functions of vibration-exposed subjects can be obtained by including the assessment of the deep FBF.
Mirbod
S M
SM
Department of Hygiene, Gifu University School of Medicine, Japan.
Yoshida
H
H
Jamali
M
M
Miyashita
K
K
Takada
H
H
Inaba
R
R
Iwata
H
H
D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005385:Fingers / Q000098:blood supply*; D016468:Forestry / Q000295:instrumentation; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation*; D006801:Humans; D006987:Hypesthesia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011928:Raynaud Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D013577:Syndrome; D014732:Vibration / Q000009:adverse effects*