Ratschow's test

Ratschow's test (Ratschow-Prusik's) is a positional test associated with effort for the examination of the lower extremities. This is a simple clinical test to diagnose ICH DK. We can divide it into three phases.

In the first phase:

 * 1) The patient lying on his back raises his outstretched legs to an angle of 45-60° relative to the mat.
 * 2) He stays in the position for 30 seconds.
 * 3) We evaluate the change in the color of the area, in the case of limb ischemia, the area becomes pale.

In the second phase:

 * 1) Still in the position from the first phase, the patient performs plantar and dorsiflexion as quickly as possible.
 * 2) We measure the time that elapses before pain appears in the calf and at the same time observe the color of the limb (positive test) . If pain and pallor do not appear within 90 seconds, we end the test with a negative evaluation.

In the third phase:

 * 1) The patient sits on the bed and hangs the limbs over the edge.
 * 2) Physiologically, the color on the insteps returns within 5 seconds, the veins on the insteps fill up within 10 seconds, and the legs are uniformly red within 15 seconds.

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