[Transcutaneous measurement of PO2 in healthy subjects and in arteriopathy patients during the exercise test].

The authors studied the variation in tcPO2 during a stress test conducted on a treadmill in normal subjects and in patients with stage I and II vascular disease according to Fontaine's classification. The tcPO2 was measured in the foot. In normal subjects, during exercise, there was an inital fluctuation in the tcPO2 which subsequently remained stable. In patients with arterial disease, the tcPO2 was variable. During the recovery phase, the tcPO2 gradually decreased to its previous level in normal subjects, but in patients with arterial disease, it abruptly fell to below its original value and then gradually returned to this value. This fall and the recovery time are related to the degree of arterial insufficiency in the limb examined. The end of the pain on effort coincides with the beginning of the increase in tcPO2. These findings, during the recovery phase, are related, according to the authors, to the oxygen debt of the muscle masses situated proximally to the point of recording.