Assessment of Microcirculatory Kinetics Using the Microscopic Phase of the Nail Fold Capillary in Pregnant Women

Abstract

Background and Aim: Recently, the rapid development of science and technology has led to the development of capillary studies. Particularly, the observation of microcirculation in nail fold capillaries, called “ghost vessels”, has attracted much attention from doctors. Therefore, we studied the microcirculatory kinetics of the nail fold capillary in pregnant women and the relationship between blood flow rate and passive smoking. Methodology: We took-up a case-control study with 83 normal pregnant women, 24 passive smoking pregnant women and 12 healthy non-pregnant women who hospitalized in Pyongyang University Hospital of Medical Sciences from May 2020 to February 2022. We analyzed the morphological indices and blood flow rate of the nail fold capillary in pregnant women according to the weeks of gestation and passive smoking. Results: The blood flow rate of the nail fold capillary in normal pregnant women significantly increased and in passive smoking pregnant women according to the weeks of gestation significantly decreased. Conclusion: Microcirculation is altered in normal pregnant women and microcirculatory behavior is different in passive smoking pregnant women.