[Establishment of a rabbit model of non-thermal high voltage electrical injury].
OBJECTIVE
To establish a rabbit model of non-thermal high voltage electrical injury, which was accompanied by progressive tissue necrosis for the further study of electrical injury.


METHODS
Seventy-five New Zealand rabbits were employed, in which 45 were used for the selection of the size of electrode plate, the inflicting time, the intervals and the injury degree. Five groups of rabbits were used for the study of the model. The study was carried out by means of clinical anatomical exploration, categorization by the Index of Deep Burn Injury (IDBI) and (99)Tc(m)-MDP isotope scanning and gamma photography.


RESULTS
The optimal injury indices selected were as follows: the electric field strength was 17 000 volts/m, the mean current intensity was 554 mA, and the average current density was 137 mA/cm(2) for small electrode and 21 mA/cm(2) for big one, and average increase of tissue temperature was 1.73 degrees C during injury process. This excluded the possibility of thermal injury. Five models were created, i.e. mild, moderate, severe, extra severe and destructive ones. There was no obvious cutaneous necrosis. Nevertheless, there was loss of injured extremities on 5th, 7th and 12th post-injury days in the severe, extra severe and destructive groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Non-thermal factor was the major cause of electric injury in the model with typical clinical features.
Li
W
W
Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, Shenzhen Red-Cross Hospital, Shenzhen 518035, Guang Dong, P. R. China.
Zhu
Z
Z
Liu
T
T
D000818:Animals; D002058:Burns, Electric / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D011817:Rabbits; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate
D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate