Poikilothermia refers to what in the context of limb ischemia?

• A. Temperature difference between limbs
• B. The limb feeling hot
• C. Warmth uniform across limbs
• D. Temperature difference between the affected limb and the unaffected limb

Answer: (D)

Poikilothermia in limb ischemia means the affected limb cannot regulate its temperature and cools toward the surrounding environment due to reduced blood flow. The key clinical sign is a temperature difference between the affected limb and the unaffected limb—the ischemic limb is cooler than the normal one. This specific comparison (affected vs unaffected) best captures how perfusion loss alters local temperature. The limb being warm or uniformly warm across both limbs would not fit ischemia, and a general difference between limbs lacks the critical reference of the healthy limb.