AN INDIRECT METHOD FOR ESTIMATING TISSUE PRESSURE WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO TISSUE PRESSURE IN MUSCLE DURING EXERCISE.

Abstract

AbstractTissue pressure is one of the determinants of capillary filtration and appears to be a major limiting factor of filtration exchange during muscular exercise. Since direct measurement of tissue pressure through a needle was considered impossible, an indirect method was developed to record tissue pressure in skeletal muscle during rest and exercise. This method is based on the fact that veins are normally collapsible and that the pressure inside patent veins can never be less than the extramural pressure i. e. tissue pressure. When the tissue pressure exceeds the central venous pressure, the pressure in the local veins is dictated by, and becomes a measure of the tissue pressure. Instead of measuring this pressure the changes in volume of the muscle were recorded plethysmographical‐ly and the pressure below which changes of central venous pressure did not influence volume was noted. This pressure was regarded as corresponding to the minimum tissue pressure. The maximum tissue pressure was obtained from distensibility curves for the veins. The accuracy of the method is about 2 cm H2O. During rest the tissue pressure was only little above zero and rose during exercise in relation to the amount of filtrate accumulated in the muscle.