Comparison of internal organ injuries by blunt abdominal trauma in rats with empty or full stomach

Trauma is an injury of young individuals, ranking first on the list of leading causes of death among 1-44 year-olds in developed countries. It is the third most common cause of mortality in all age groups combined.The aim of the present study was to investigate whether there is a difference in injury in intra-abdominal viscera due to blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) sustained by rats with empty or full stomach and to examine which intra-abdominal viscera is affected most based on the direction of the trauma.Since there is no data in the literature on the force of trauma, a pilot study was carried out before commencing the experimental study. An apparatus was built conforming the method of Özel et al to determine the trauma force that would not cause sudden death and rats weighing 200 and 250 g were allowed free fall from a height of 40 and 45 cm so that they would land on their abdomen. The most appropriate force of trauma (F= 69,978 N) and absorbed energy (E= 0,979 Joule) were obtained in rats weighing 250g that fell from a height of 40 cm.Following anesthesia by ketamin, the apparatus was set and rats were subjected to free fall in a friction-free environment to induce a blunt abdominal trauma.Thirty six rats which sustained BAT were included in the study. Rats were allocated into one of six groups: Group 1: Empty stomach, anterior trauma; Group 2: Empty stomach, right-sided trauma; Group 3: Empty stomach, left-sided trauma; Group 4: Full stomach, anterior trauma; Group 5: Full stomach, right-sided trauma; Group 6: Full stomach, left-sided trauma. Rats were sacrificed by decapitation 30 minutes after the trauma. We investigated if there were statistically significant differences between groups with regard to the stomach being empty or full and the direction of the trauma (anterior, right-sided or left-sided).Injury was observed most commonly in the liver, followed by the spleen and small intestines. Statistically significant differences in liver and spleen injuries were found between groups (p<0.05). Differences in other organ injuries were not significant.The number of injuries in solid organs and the severity of these injuries were higher in rats with empty stomach. With regard to gastrointestinal system (GIS) injuries, injuries in rats with full stomach were more common though this difference was not statistically significant.In conclusion, blunt abdominal trauma-related injuries of internal organs were similar to the results of previous studies. It was observed that there were differences in injuries sustained by the internal organs depending on the fullness/emptiness of the stomach and the direction of the trauma. Since there are very few experimental studies on BAT, we believe present study will contribute to future experimental studies.