Effects of dabigatran and fondaparinux on degloving injuries: An experimental study

Management of the skin degloving injuries is still a problematic issue, and the avulsed part of the skin may become necrotic. We hypothesized that the anticoagulant pharmacological agents, fondaparinux and dabigatran may be beneficial in the treatment of degloving injuries by enhancing the viability of the reattached flap.

Twenty four Wistar rats were divided into three groups as follows: control group (Group 1), fondaparinux group (Group 2) and dabigatran group (Group 3). A model of a degloving injury on the tail of rats was developed in all groups. After 15 minutes, the avulsed flaps were sutured back. Group 1 received 1ml/day saline intraperitoneally for 10 days. Group 2 received 0.3 ml/kg/day fondaparinux intraperitoneally for 10 days. Group 3 received 30 mg/kg/day dabigatran orally for 10 days. At the end of the treatments, gross morphological and histopathological tail tissue survivals were evaluated.

Histopathological examination of the fondaparinux and dabigatran groups revealed that the tail skin was mostly viable with mild inflammation. The mean necrotic length in tails and severity of inflammation was significantly higher in the control group compared to the fondaparinux and dabigatran groups (p<0.05). No statistically significant differences were noted between the fondaparinux and dabigatran groups in histopathologic evaluations. There was no significant difference in necrosis lengths and the other histopathological parameters between dabigatran and fondaparinux groups.

Dabigatran and fondaparinux improved tissue survival in skin degloving injuries concerning gross morphological and histopathological findings. However, the findings of this study should be supported and improved by new experimental and especially clinical studies.