The influence of blood flow on skin surface temperature in the lower-limbs : a research article

Abstract

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) tends to be associated with lower foot skin temperatures, however it is dubious whether there is enough evidence to support this claim. Skin temperature monitoring, and its ability to be an independent diagnostic modality for PAD, particularly in diabetes, has gained remarkable interest in recent years, but its ability to detect and diagnose PAD is not yet clear.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in: Academic Search Ultimate, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, LISTA, and MEDLINE Complete until February 2022.

Results: A total of nine studies were eligible for review. For the purpose of this review, the inclusion studies were grouped according to the type of investigation analysed: those investigating lower-limb thermal patterns in various populations and those investigating comparisons between various outcome measures to assess blood flow to the feet, including skin temperature measurement. Findings suggest that higher foot skin temperatures were found in PAD patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Foot skin temperature measurements also showed a clear correlation with blood flow to the feet, evaluated by ABI.

Conclusions: Variations in foot skin temperature play an important role in the diagnosis of PAD. Current evidence shows that the influence of blood flow on surface skin temperature is complex. The interpretation of thermography as a diagnostic modality for PAD and its severity needs to be considered within the context of the overall medical condition of the individual patient.