Determination of wound strength for quantitation of skin damage after pressure ischemia. An experimental study in...

Rabbits skin folds were placed in plexiglass chambers enabling control of the skin fold temperature during cuff compression (200 mmHg) for 4 hours. In 10 animals the skin folds were kept at 36 degrees C - in another 10 animals the skin fold temperature was lowered to 10 degrees C. To quantitate the skin injury caused by the pressure ischemia a standardized wound was made, and immediately closed, after release of pressure. Control wounds were made in normal skin. Seven days later the mechanical strength of the wounds was tested by determination of breaking load. There was no significant difference in breaking load between the wounds made in normal skin and in the skin folds kept at 10 degrees C, whereas the breaking loads was significantly decreased in the wounds made in skin folds kept at 36 degrees C, i.e. normal skin temperature, compared with the controls. Thus, the results show that cooling may preserve the reparative capacity in skin subjected to pressure ischemia. It is assumed that this effect is related to a lowered cell metabolism during the ischemia. It may also be concluded that the pressure (mechanical) injury, being the same in both temperature groups, is less important than the ischemic injury.