Blood flow from and oxygen uptake by muscle, during and after partial venous occlusion

¹ Departments of Environmental Medicine and Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

In dog gastrocnemius-plantaris muscle in situ, effects of partial venous occlusion and its release were compared to effects of arterial occlusion and release. During partial venous occlusion, blood flow decreases, arteriovenous oxygen difference is constant, and oxygen consumption is, therefore, reduced proportionately to blood flow. On release of partial venous occlusion, unlike release of arterial occlusion in which both blood flow debt and oxygen debt are repaid, there is little or no repayment of blood flow debt, arteriovenous oxygen difference remains constant, and there is, therefore, little or no repayment of oxygen debt. These effects of partial venous occlusion are reminiscent of those reported to occur during and after release of passive stretch of circulated muscle, and it is proposed that the stretch effect is secondary to venular occlusion. The observations are consistent with the hypothesis that, within limits, muscle oxygen consumption is dependent on or limited by blood flow.

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(With the Technical Assistance of Donald B. Ross)