The Protective Effects of Fasciotomy on Reperfusion Injury of Skeletal Muscle of Rabbits

The authors aim to investigate protective effects of fasciotomy against ischemia reperfusion injury of skeletal muscle in rabbit and to compare the treatment effects of prereperfusion + fasciotomy and fasciotomy + postreperfusion against ischemia reperfusion injury of skeletal muscle. 24 healthy male Japanese white rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups, and 4 hours' ischemia was established in these rabbits through surgery. Six hours' reperfusion was performed in group A; reperfusion + postfasciotomy was performed in group B; and prefasciotomy + reperfusion was performed in group C. Result showed that prefasciotomy and postfasciotomy could protect skeletal muscle against ischemia reperfusion injury, reduced MDA (malondialdehyde) expression, MPO (myeloperoxidase) expression, and apoptosis of muscle in the reperfused areas, increased Bcl-2 expression, and decreased Bax expression. The MDA and MPO levels in group B and group C were significantly lower than those in group A, and MDA and MPO levels in group C were significantly lower than those in group B. Prefasciotomy and postfasciotomy could protect against ischemia reperfusion injury in skeletal muscle. The protective effects of prefasciotomy against ischemia reperfusion injury are better than postfasciotomy.