Abstract
We have reported that the lowest point of the skin temperature on the palmar side of the second finger tip during cold water immersion is a good indicator of the sympathetic vasomotor function of the skin. Temperature of the skin falls not only by the physical cooling in the cold water but also by the decrease of cutaneous blood flow through the effect of sympathetic vasoconstriction induced by the cold and pain sensation on the immersion. The skin temperature, the sensations and the skin color of the immersed finger were observed in 26 normal volunteers and 36 patients after stellate ganglion block (SGB).
The skin temperature fell at first and rose up again during the immersion in normal volunteers (cold induced vasodilatation; CIVD). Cold and pain sensation occurred in the falling phase of the temperature and the skin color of the immersed part changed to reddish in the phase of CIVD. Higher bottom temperature and a flat pattern of the skin temperature curve were observed in the SGB group. The painful sensation and the change of the skin color were lesser in the SGB group than those in the normal control. The higher bottom temperature was brought about by the failure of the skin sympathetic function with SGB. The lesser painful sensation and the slight change of the skin color were considered to be the secondary phenomena induced by the high skin temperature during the immersion.
