Shigeo Koike

DIGITAL PLETHYSMOGRAMS AND FINGER SKIN TEMPERATURES OF FEMALE MACHINE HANDLERS OF A CERTAIN BANK

Digital pulse wave, digital and forehead skin temperatures were examined in 286 female office workers, viz. 160 machine handlers and 126 other workers of a certain bank.Wave forms of the digital plethysmogram were classified in six types, of which vasospastic wave and plateau wave forms, which are said to represent the spasm of peripheral vessels, were observed a little more often in the machine handlers.Geometrical analysis of pulse wave revealed the increase of elasticity index and peripheral blood flow in the machine handlers.In the group of machine handlers, whose duration of employment ranging from 0 to 2 years, more digital skin temperature and less skin temperature differences between forehead and finger were observed more often than in office workers. In the group whose length of employment ranging from 3 to 5 years increases of elasticity index and of peripheral blood flow were seen, and in the group whose length of employment exceeded 6 years an increase of 1/2 amplitude of the diastolic phase was revealed while it was not seen in other office workers. Skin temperature difference between forehead and finger were more often in machine handlers. Correlation coefficients were significant only in 1/2 amplitude of the diastolic phase and in peripheral blood flow.Skin temperature difference between forehead and finger was smallest in the group showing, catacrotic wave form and it was greatest in the group showing plateau wave.In brief, no remarkable difference could be observed in the finger circulation dynamics between machine handlers and other office workers, but slightly elevated resistance of finger blood flow was seen in the group of office workers, whose length of employment exceeded 3 years.