Effects of haemorrhage on wound strength and fibroblast function

✍ Scribed by Professor D. E. M. Taylor; J. S. Whamond; J. E. Penhallow

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 432 KB
• Volume: 74
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0007-1323
• DOI: 10.1002/bjs.1800740430

✦ Synopsis

Abstract
The impairment of healing in laparotomy wounds in rats with compensated oligaemia has been studied in two parallel investigations. Animals-bled 1 ml/100 g body weight (bled) were compared with unbled animals undergoing the same operation (control). Firstly, wounds were assessed after 22 days for strength of skin and muscle layers (11 control: 9 bled). Both layers were significantly weaker in bled animals; by 36 per cent for skin (P <0·02) and by 22 per cent for muscle (P = 0·02). Secondly, wound fibroblast function was assessed after 10 days by quantitative histology and autoradiography (30 control: 31 bled). There were no significant differences between the two groups for fibroblast density, replication ([3H]thymidine), or general protein synthesis ([3H]leucine). Bled animals had less dense collagen packing by 21 per cent (P <0·01), but 33 per cent more incorporation of ([3H]proline by fibroblasts (P <0·01) compared with control animals. The effect of compensated oligaemia on wound healing is more marked in skin than in muscle; it appears to be a specific increase in collagen turnover with the increase in reabsorption exceeding that in synthesis.