Retrospective Analysis and Current State of Experimental Models of Blast-induced Trauma

Abstract

Combat pathology, particularly mine-blast injury is the main cause of military casualties. In our country, as a factor of destabilization, are widely used terrorist attacks using explosive devices of different capacities. Blast injury over 60% is cause of military casualties during armed conflicts. It is known that the condition for the formation of air-shock wave is creating waves of pressure, which is distributed at supersonic speed as possible with pulsed gas explosion and expansion of compression ambient air. The brain, chest, abdomen, and bladder are the most sensitive parts of the human body to blast. But the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of post-traumatic explosion-induced disorders, namely, neurodegenerative complications psychosomatic, cognitive impairment, currently not fully understood and are not clear enough for an adequate therapy. The purpose of the study was to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of experimental models of blast-induced injury and to improve method and compressed air-driven shock tube. Material and methods. We used the following methods: analysis and evaluation of experimental models of explosion-induced injury by scientific publications, monographs and invention obtained in stages patent information search in the library collection of the State institution "Dnipropetrovsk Medical Academy of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine" (October 2019), a retrospective search of the literature database PubMed (February 2020). Results and discussion. A retrospective analysis of the number of literary sources on the experimental reproduction of explosive trauma has shown a high interest of a large circle of scientists in the last decade. A qualitative study of scientific publications has shown a wide range of physical characteristics of an experimental shock wave, methods and devices for simulating an explosive injury. The absence of a standardized model of explosive injury with characteristics as close as possible to real circumstances creates conditions for the implementation of our own proposals. Conclusion. This work presents a tested modified experimental model for reproducing an air shock wave under laboratory conditions, which makes it possible to study the features of the course of an explosive injury of various organs and organ systems at various periods after injury

Influence of trace elements changes in the cerebellum on the rat’s behavior in elevated plus maze in the early period of mild blast-induced traumatic brain injury

“…The blast wave was created by instant (using an electromagnetic valve) opening of a chamber filled with compressed air (up to 15 atm, i. e., ≈1520 kPa). Under the conditions of our experiments, this generated a baroacoustic wave with an excess pressure of 26-36 kPa, on average [8].…”

The state of antioxidant system and emotional status in rats with mild blast-induced traumatic brain injury

“…Animals were kept in standard conditions and on a standard diet of the Dnipro State Medical University vivarium, all studies were conducted in accordance with modern international requirements and standards of humane treatment of animals (Council of Europe Convention of 18.03.1986 The selected rats were randomly divided into three groups: group I -for the study of emotional status in the Barnes maze; group II -for the study of emotional status in the Open Field test; and group III -for the study of glutathione reductase (GR) activity in erythrocytes hemolysate. Three groups were formed in each of these groups: Experimental group (I -n = 6; II -n = 6; III -n = 28), animals of which were subjected to inhalation anesthesia with halothane (Halothan Hoechst AG, Germany), fixed in a horizontal position on the abdomen with the head to the muzzle end at a distance of 5 cm and modeled blast brain injury by generating a shock wave with an overpressure of 26.4 ± 3.6 kPa on a self-made device [9]; Sham (I -n = 6; II -n = 6; III -n = 14) animals subjected only to inhalation anesthesia with halothane and fixation in a horizontal position; and Intact (I -n = 6; II -n = 6; III -n = 7). The rats of the Sham and Intact groups were created to separate the effects of additional pathogenic factors (anesthesia, fixation).…”