title: Effects of forearm venous drainage on responses to the volume provocation test.
abstract: The volume provocation test (VPT) has been shown to induce a transitory increase of forearm and hand volume. Although these changes have been quantified in previous studies, the postulated mechanism underlying the VPT required further investigation. This study used a test-retest design in which the VPT was applied to 20 subjects before and during blood donation. During the standard VPT, the experimental arm was cuffed for 4 minutes at 15 mm Hg less than diastolic blood pressure, but a cannula siphoned blood from a superficial forearm vein during blood donation. Subjects rated the level of discomfort for each protocol, and reported data regarding symptom quality and location. Discomfort data during the VPT (1.95/10) was higher (p(1-tailed) < 0.005) than during blood donation (1.1/10), and subjects reported fewer volume-related symptoms during blood donation. These findings support the hypothesis that the VPT operates through a vascular mechanism, which is milder during blood donation.
authors.affiliation: School of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia. r.boland@fhs.usyd.edu.au
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Boland
authors.forename: Roger D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Adams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001810:Blood Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D004322:Drainage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005542:Forearm / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006225:Hand / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D019722:Sphygmomanometers / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D014680:Veins / Q000503:physiopathology*