Contribution of the calf pump and foot pump to the return of venous blood from the lower extremity

Abstract

The anatomy and function of the calf pump and the foot pump as well as the interplay of their activity are described. The calf muscle pump constitutes an effective mechanism enhancing efficiently the return of venous blood toward the heart. During calf muscle contractions, the venous blood is ejected mainly into the popliteal vein, but a smaller part escapes through calf perforators into the saphenous system and streams further in the centripetal, i.e. physiological direction toward the heart. Calf muscle contractions induce marked increase in systolic pressure and calf muscle relaxations entail decrease of diastolic pressure both in deep and superficial veins of the lower leg. The systolic and diastolic pressure changes are produced in deep veins and are transmitted through calf perforators into the saphenous system, as documented by simultaneous pressure recordings in the posterior tibial and great saphenous veins. The systolic increase of pressure in the great saphenous vein is caused by the outward flow within calf perforators; competent valves in calf perforators would preclude any relevant pressure increase. Calf pump activity entails a distinct decrease of ambulatory venous pressure in lower leg veins, whereas in the thigh veins the pressure does not decrease; in this way, the ambulatory pressure gradient of 37.4 +6.4 mm Hg arises between thigh and lower leg veins and triggers the venous reflux in incompetent venous channels connecting both poles of the ambulatory pressure gradient. In contrast to the very efficient performance of the calf pump, the performance of the foot pump is hemodynamically unimportant. The ejection volume produced by the calf muscle pump comes at about 60 ml or more, whereas the blood volume ejected by the foot pump reaches a negligible value of 3-4 ml.