Vi. The Influence of Increased and Decreased Plasma Free Fatty Acids on the Formation and Composition of the Fat Emboli in the Dog

Abstract

Abstract. Previous observations in these series of studies in dogs with femoral fractures showed that pulmonary fat emboli have a triglyceride fatty acid composition similar to bone marrow fat. The present study is concerned with the question as to whether the emboli are mechanically liberated from traumatized fat‐rich tissues or the result of increased mobilisation rate of free fatty acids, incorporated into triglycerides outside the adipose tissue. Variations in the fatty acid level caused by the administration of norepinephrine or nicotinic acid did not influence the number of pulmonary fat emboli, the amount of emboli triglycerides or their fatty acid composition. No significant correlations were observed between the plasma FFA level and the number or amount of pulmonary fat emboli. 14C‐labelled fatty acids bound to albumin were infused during the experiments in 3 dogs simultaneously infused with norepinephrine. These fatty acids were not incorporated in the fat emboli. These observations indicate that fat embolisation after fractures in dogs is due to a mechanical liberation of bone marrow fat and not to the rise in the rate of fatty acid mobilisation from the adipose tissue induced by the trauma.