The pathogenesis of pneumatic tourniquet paralysis in man.

The relative importance of ischaemic and direct mechanical injury to nerves compressed by a tourniquet, in the pathogenesis of tourniquet paralysis in man has not been established. To investigate this question, conduction in ulnar or median nerve fibres has been measured in healthy subjects both at the level of the pneumatic tourniquet and distal to the tourniquet. Measurement was prior to, for the period of tourniquet inflation, and following …