A Transcutaneous P_o2 Electrode Incorporating a Thermal Clearance Local Blood Flow Sensor

Several possible methods for estimating and recording skin blood flow by thermal clearance are presented. The method chosen for trial with an O₂ electrode was to thermoregulate an annular anode which covered the cathode, surrounding it like a heat shell, and to measure the cooling of the cathode by blood flow, by implanting a thermistor near the surface of the cathode. This device is far less affected by ambient temperature than is simple measurement of heating power in an uninsulated tcP_o2 electrode.