Changes in the forearm tcPO2 following the cold water immersion test

The purpose of this study is to apply changes in forearm transcutaneous PO2 (tcPO2) during the cold water immersion test (5 degrees C, for 10 min) to the diagnosis of vibration syndrome. Forearm tcPO2 in healthy controls increased gradually up to 3 min after the start of the cold water immersion and decreased thereafter. It returned to almost the same level before immersion 5 min after the start. In the workers using vibrating tools manifesting Raynaud's phenomenon, forearm tcPO2 also increased up to 3 min after the start as in healthy controls, but no change was observed thereafter. The difference between the level of forearm tcPO2 at 3 min and that at 10 min after the start of the immersion (Forearm tcPO2 recovery index, newly devised by authors) in workers using vibrating tools was significantly lower than that in healthy controls. Therefore, investigation of changes in forearm tcPO2 following the cold water immersion test is considered to be a useful objective item which can contribute to the diagnosis of vibration syndrome.