Transcutaneous oxygen and carbon dioxide during iloprost, a prostacyclin derivative, in critical limb ischemia

The effect of intravenous iloprost treatment (median rate: 1.6; range 1-2 ng/kg/min; 6 h daily over 4 weeks) on transcutaneous pO2 and pCO2 was studied in 8 patients with bilateral peripheral obstructive arterial disease and monolateral critical limb ischemia. Tensiometric determinations were obtained at both metatarsi in the supine and dependent position. In critically ischemic limbs, supine transcutaneous p)2 changed erratically during iloprost treatment, increasing in only three out of eight lower limbs. At variance with its inconsistent behavior in the supine position, dependent pO2 increased during drug administration (p