Transcutaneous partial pressure of oxygen after surgical wounds

Transcutaneous partial pressure of oxygen (TcPO₂) predicts wound healing in critical ischemia. However, no studies have controlled for the effect of wounds on TcPO₂. In this study, in 24 hip or knee arthroplasty cases without vascular disease, TcPO₂ was measured preoperatively at the incision site, contralaterally, and at a reference site on the chest wall. The measurements were repeated at 2 days and 2 months postoperatively and compared. TcPO₂, normal preoperatively, decreased at all sites on the second postoperative day (p < 0.001), with a trend toward a greater decrease at the wound (p = 0.09). All wounds healed, and TcPO₂ returned to baseline at all sites 2 months postoperatively. In conclusion, acute surgical wounds are associated with a significant and widespread decrease in cutaneous TcPO₂ in the setting of normal arterial perfusion. This decrease is likely multifactorial and deserves further investigation.