TIME FOR WOUNDS CLOSED UNDER TENSION IN RATS PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR : BRADLEY P

Previous studies have shown wound tensile strength to be greater in wounds closed under tension. The purpose of this study was to delineate a postoperative time interval when this difference becomes evident. Ninety-four Sprague-Dawley rats where divided into five groups5, 7, 10, 14 and 21 days. Transverse incisions on the backs of control rats were closed with minimal tension. Experimental animals had skin excised to create closing tensions in excess of 70 grams. Sutures in all of the rats where removed at five days and animals were sacrificed at the designated healing intervals. Tensile strength was not significantly different at five days. However, wounds closed under tension showed significantly higher tensile strength at 7, 10, 14 and 21 days. Polynomial regression reveals a cubic relationship between healing time and tensile strength where there are two periods of rapid increase wound strength. These results suggest that tensile strength of wounds closed under tension exceeds that of tensionless wounds as early as seven days following surgery.

[1]  L. Israelsson,et al.  Suture technique and wound healing in midline laparotomy incisions. , 1996, The European journal of surgery = Acta chirurgica.

[2]  J. Vossoughi,et al.  Wound healing. Relationship of wound closing tension to scar width in rats. , 1990, Archives of otolaryngology--head & neck surgery.

[3]  C. Powell.  Wound healing: Relationship of wound closing tension to tensile strength in rats , 1990 .

[4]  U. Haglund,et al.  Tension leads to increased neutrophil accumulation and decreased laparotomy wound strength. , 1990, Surgery.

[5]  J. Efron,et al.  Wound healing in nude mice: a study on the regulatory role of lymphocytes in fibroplasia. , 1989, Surgery.

[6]  S W O'Driscoll,et al.  A Comparison of the Effects of Immobilization and Continuous Passive Motion on Surgical Wound Healing in Mature Rabbits , 1986, Plastic and reconstructive surgery.

[7]  J. Vossoughi.  Thickness Measurement for Soft Materials , 1984 .

[8]  I. K. Cohen,et al.  Biology of wound healing. , 1984, The Surgical clinics of North America.

[9]  G. A. Holloway,et al.  Skin Flap Tension and Wound Slough: Correlation with Laser Doppler Velocimetry , 1982, Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

[10]  J. Madden,et al.  Effects of stress on healing wounds: I. Intermittent noncyclical tension. , 1976, The Journal of surgical research.

[11]  T. K. Hunt,et al.  Study of traditional methods of care on the tensile strength of skin wounds in rats. , 1971, American journal of surgery.

[12]  C. Åhrén,et al.  Healing of skin incisions during reduced tension of the wound area. A tensiometric and histologic study in the rat. , 1971, Acta chirurgica Scandinavica.

[13]  G. Cherry,et al.  Augmentation of wound tensile strength by early removal of sutures. , 1969, American journal of surgery.

[14]  D. M. Douglas,et al.  Physical characteristics of collagen in the later stages of wound healing , 1969, The British journal of surgery.

[15]  T. G. Beckwith,et al.  EFFECT OF STORAGE AND HANDLING TECHNIQUES ON SKIN TISSUE PROPERTIES * , 1966 .

[16]  M. Sussman.  Effect of Increased Tissue Traction Upon Tensile Strength of Cutaneous Incisions in Rats.∗ , 1966, Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine.

[17]  S. Levenson,et al.  The Healing of Rat Skin Wounds , 1965, Annals of surgery.

[18]  C. Berard,et al.  Healing of Incisional Wounds in Rats: The Relationship of Tensile Strength and Morphology to the Normal Skin Wrinkle Lines , 1964, Annals of surgery.

[19]  G. T. Watts.  Wound shape and tissue tension in healing , 1960, The British journal of surgery.

[20]  D. J. Ferguson,et al.  Effect of tension on healing of aponeurotic wounds. , 1958, Surgery.

[21]  S. Harvey,et al.  RATE OF FIBROPLASIA AND DIFFERENTIATION IN THE HEALING OF CUTANEOUS WOUNDS IN DIFFERENT SPECIES OF ANIMALS , 1939 .

[22]  S. Harvey,et al.  THE HEALING OF WOUNDS AS DETERMINED BY THEIR TENSILE STRENGTH , 1929 .

[23]  S. Glagov,et al.  MECHANICAL INFLUENCES ON THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF EXTRACELLULAR MACROMOLECULES BY AORTIC CELLS , 1975 .

[24]  E. Peacock,et al.  Studies on the biology of collagen during wound healing. I. Rate of collagen synthesis and deposition in cutaneous wounds of the rat. , 1968, Surgery.