Histological and biochemical changes in the lung in relation to survival time following femoral fracture in the dog

: Following an experimentally applied fracture of the upper limb fat embolism can be demonstrated in the lungs. By quantitative histological evaluation and biochemical lipid analysis a definite correlation can be observed between the amount of fat in the lungs and the time interval that had elapsed between fracture and death of the animals. More fat is to found in lungs histologically as well as biochemically in those animals, in which the time interval was shorter (165 minutes) than in those which survived for a longer period of time (168 hours). The electronmicroscopic morphometric examination turned out an increased volume of the interstitium 72 hours after the fracture.