Correlation of Caesarean Section Rates to Maternal and Neonatal Mortality in the Eastern Mediterranean Region; A Population-Based Ecological Study

Abstract

The physiological reaction of postocclusive local reactive hyperemia is regulated by neurovascular mechanisms and it reflects the function of microcirculation. Thermoregulatory changes occur first, in the form of increased skin surface temperature, which is usually followed by an increase in local blood flow. This study investigated a correlation between tourniquet duration on the upper arm, and the appearance of reactive hyperemia in the distal parts of the upper limb. Changes were registered with infrared thermometer and infrared thermography, which provided us a highly precise view of distribution of reactive hyperemia. Changes of oxygen saturation of peripheral arterial blood and blood pressure were also recorded. Our research has shown that longer duration of tourniquet leads to more intense and longer lasting reactive hyperemia in the palmar region, followed by higher temperatures of the skin surface, without any changes in postocclusive values of SpO2. Keywords: Infrared thermography, Microcirculation, Postocclusive hyperemia, Skin temperature, Tourniquet, Thermoregulatory changes.