Reduced Arterial Circulation to the Legs in Spinal Cord Injury as a Cause of Skin Breakdown Lesions

Author:

Deitrick George1,Charalel Joseph2,Bauman William3,Tuckman John4

Affiliation:

1. SCI Patient Care Unit, the Bronx VA Medical Center, NY, , 5Department of Surgery, the Bronx VA Medical Center, NY

2. Division of Diagnostic Services, the Bronx VA Medical Center, NY, Department of Radiology, the Bronx VA Medical Center, NY

3. SCI Patient Care Unit, Spinal Cord Damage Research Center, Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of Excellence, Mount Sinai Medical Center, NY, Department of Medicine, Department of Rehabilitation, New York, NY

4. Spinal Cord Damage Research Center, the Bronx VA Medical Center, NY, Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of Excellence, Mount Sinai Medical Center, NY

Abstract

Skin breakdown lesions (SBLs) of the legs are common in spinal cord injury (SCI). It is assumed that the cause is deficient sensitivity and immobility of the limbs, which result in areas subjected to prolonged pressures. However, poor circulation may also be a significant factor. Indeed, strong reasons suggest that small vessel circulation is decreased in SCI because these patients have increased arteriosclerotic risk factors. Patients in the SCI population have advanced age, are sedentary, often have abnormal carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and many use tobacco products. Total blood flow (TBF) to the legs and skin blood flows (SBFs) to 4 areas of the feet were measured simultaneously by duplex Doppler sonography and laser Doppler flowmetry in 10 healthy control and 10 chronic subjects with SCI when supine and during 30 minutes in a wheelchair. The average supine control TBF was 540 mL/minute, but greatly reduced between 24—76 mL/minute in 4 of the subjects. During sitting, the average TBF fell by 41% in the controls and increased by 6% in SCI. Nonetheless, in all control and SCI subjects the average sitting SBFs were severely decreased in all areas between 53—75%, similar to results found by others elsewhere in the foreleg. Ischemia of the skin and underlying muscles is important as a cause for the poor healing of SBLs in persons with SCI who daily spend many hours in a wheelchair.

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Subject

Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

Cited by 29 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3