Keywords
surgery
traumatic brain injury
thoracic injuries
abdominal injuries
How to Cite
Abstract
In press
Background. The high prevalence of isolated and concomitant lower limb injuries requires reproducible experimental models for studying reparative bone regeneration. Excess body weight substantially alters the pathophysiological response to trauma and complicates the course of the recovery period.
Aim. To develop and justify an experimental methodology for modeling isolated femoral fracture and concomitant trauma with damage to the head, chest and abdominal organs in rats with normal and nutritionally-induced excess body weight.
Materials and Methods. The study was performed within the research project "Implementation of the concept of surgical and orthopedic Damage Control in military and civilian personnel during martial law" (state registration number 01260002120; 2026–2028) on 156 female Wistar Albino Glaxo rats with normal or nutritionally-induced excess body weight (5 groups each). A closed femoral fracture was modeled in 144 animals by retrograde intramedullary osteosynthesis with a 1.0 mm Kirschner wire followed by three-point bending, with radiographic control in two projections. Concomitant injuries were reproduced by a calibrated weight-drop (50 g from a height of 30 cm). Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance in SPSS Statistics 26.0 (IBM, USA).
Research Ethics. Experiments were performed in accordance with Directive 2010/63/EU, the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes (Strasbourg, 1986) and the Law of Ukraine "On the Protection of Animals from Cruelty". The study design was approved by the Commission on Ethics and Bioethics of Kharkiv National Medical University (Protocol No.8 dated October 17, 2025).
Results. A stable closed transverse femoral fracture was obtained in 98.61% of cases (142 of 144 animals); two rats with an injury of the femoral artery were euthanized and replaced. Intramedullary osteosynthesis provided stable alignment of the fragments while preserving the mobility of the adjacent joints. The calibrated impact reproduced closed injuries of the head, chest and abdominal organs without lethality. In rats with excess body weight, induction of and emergence from anesthesia were prolonged by about 7 min and 17 min, respectively.
Conclusions. The proposed methodology is a reproducible and standardized way of creating models of isolated femoral fracture and concomitant trauma in rats with normal and excess body weight.
Keywords: orthopedics and traumatology, surgery, traumatic brain injury, thoracic injuries, abdominal injuries.
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