title: Experimental blunt chest trauma impairs fracture healing in rats.
abstract: In poly-traumatic patients a blunt chest trauma is an important trigger of the posttraumatic systemic inflammatory response. There is clinical evidence that fracture healing is delayed in such patients, however, experimental data are lacking. Therefore, we investigated the influence of a thoracic trauma on fracture healing in a rat model. Male Wistar rats received either a blunt chest trauma combined with a femur osteotomy or an isolated osteotomy. A more rigid or a more flexible external fixator was used for fracture stabilization to analyze whether the thoracic trauma influences regular healing and mechanically induced delayed bone healing differently. The blunt chest trauma induced a significant increase of IL-6 serum levels after 6 and 24 h, suggesting the induction of a systemic inflammation, whereas the isolated fracture had no effect. Under a more rigid fixation the thoracic trauma considerably impaired fracture healing after 35 days, reflected by a significantly reduced flexural rigidity (three-point-bending test), as well as a significantly diminished callus volume, moment of inertia, and relative bone surface (µCT analysis). In confirming the clinical evidence, this study reports for the first time that a blunt chest trauma considerably impaired bone healing, possibly via the interaction of the induced systemic inflammation with local inflammatory processes.
authors: Institute of Orthopaedic Research and Biomechanics, Center of Musculoskeletal Research, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Recknagel
authors: Ronny
authors: R
authors: Bindl
authors: Julian
authors: J
authors: Kurz
authors: Tim
authors: T
authors: Wehner
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Ehrnthaller
authors: Markus Werner
authors: MW
authors: Knöferl
authors: Florian
authors: F
authors: Gebhard
authors: Markus
authors: M
authors: Huber-Lang
authors: Lutz
authors: L
authors: Claes
authors: Anita
authors: A
authors: Ignatius
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D016267:External Fixators; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D017102:Fracture Healing / Q000502:physiology*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000209:etiology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6