Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2025

Establishment of a Minimally Invasive Rat Model of Pulmonary Embolism Using Autologous Blood Clots

Establishment of a Minimally Invasive Rat Model of Pulmonary Embolism Using Autologous Blood Clots

Published on: October 25, 2024

Fat Embolism Does Not Alter Cardiac Structure or Induce Pathological Changes in a Rat Model.

Shaan Patel¹, Rohan Ahuja¹, Julian A Vallejo¹

¹University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri.

The Journal of Surgical Research

|August 27, 2024

Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Total disc replacement versus lumbar interbody fusion for degenerative disc disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Neurosurgical focus·2026

Same author

Full Endoscopic versus Microscopic Lumbar Discectomy for Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Meta-analysis of Randomized-controlled Trials.

Spine·2026

Same author

Predicting cage subsidence after lumbar interbody fusion: a meta-analysis of opportunistic bone quality metrics.

The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society·2026

Same author

Mean Arterial Pressure Augmentation for Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Neurological Recovery and Mortality.

Global spine journal·2026

Same author

Diagnostic performance of machine learning models versus established risk stratification for intracranial aneurysm rupture: a systematic review and bivariate meta-analysis.

Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry·2026

Same author

Minimally invasive versus burr hole craniostomy for chronic subdural haematoma evacuation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Acta neurochirurgica·2026

Fat embolism (FE) causes lung damage, but the heart appears resistant to FE-induced inflammation and structural changes. This suggests organ-specific differences in fat retention protect the heart.

Area of Science:

Cardiovascular pathology
Pulmonary medicine
Trauma research

Background:

Fat embolism (FE) is a condition where fat emboli lodge in tissues, commonly affecting the lungs after trauma.
FE can cause significant local and systemic pathology, including lung, skin, brain, and kidney changes.
Previous research and reports indicate extensive lung pathology but limited evidence of direct cardiac involvement in FE.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the structural and molecular impact of fat embolism on the heart.
To compare cardiac responses to fat embolism with known pulmonary pathology.
To test the hypothesis that the heart does not exhibit structural changes similar to the lungs following fat embolism.

Main Methods:

Utilized a previously established rat model of fat embolism (FE).

Keywords:

Cardiac pathophysiology Fat embolism Inflammation Pulmonary pathophysiology

More Related Videos

Acute Myocardial Infarction in Rats

Acute Myocardial Infarction in Rats

Published on: February 16, 2011

Author Spotlight: Exploring the Relationship Between Lipotoxicity and HFpEF

Author Spotlight: Exploring the Relationship Between Lipotoxicity and HFpEF

Published on: March 29, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 15, 2025

Establishment of a Minimally Invasive Rat Model of Pulmonary Embolism Using Autologous Blood Clots

Establishment of a Minimally Invasive Rat Model of Pulmonary Embolism Using Autologous Blood Clots

Published on: October 25, 2024

Acute Myocardial Infarction in Rats

Acute Myocardial Infarction in Rats

Published on: February 16, 2011

Author Spotlight: Exploring the Relationship Between Lipotoxicity and HFpEF

Author Spotlight: Exploring the Relationship Between Lipotoxicity and HFpEF

Published on: March 29, 2024

Analyzed pulmonary and cardiac structure, histology, and gene expression at 48 hours and 10 weeks post-fat injection.

Employed Oil Red O staining to assess fat droplet accumulation in lung, aorta, and myocardium.

Main Results:

Despite significant lung and vasculature inflammation and structural changes up to 10 weeks post-FE, no significant alterations in cardiovascular morphometry were observed.
No significant elevation in genetic markers for cardiac pathological hypertrophy was detected at 48 hours or 10 weeks.
Fat droplets were present in lung and aorta tissue but not in the myocardium.

Conclusions:

The heart demonstrates greater resistance to the inflammatory and remodeling effects of fat embolism compared to the lungs.
Organ-specific differences in fat retention may explain the heart's resilience in fat embolism syndrome.
Findings suggest FE primarily impacts the lungs and vasculature, with minimal direct cardiac structural consequences.