Transient Electric Changes Immediately After Surgical Trauma

摘要

>Context: Electric stimulation is frequently used to promote soft tissue healing, although we do not have a complete understanding of the tissue's electromagnetic properties.>Objective: To measure the transient electric changes in skin and muscle tissue immediately after trauma.>Design: 1-group time series.>Setting: Climate-controlled operating room in a public urban hospital.>Patients or Other Participants: Eleven participants (8 females, 3 males) with a mean age of 65.18 ± 11.36 years undergoing total hip arthroplasty.>Intervention(s): An incision approximately 10 cm distal to the posterior superior iliac spine extended distally over the greater trochanter and along the lateral limb. The incision was completed in 2 cuts: (1) skin and subcutaneous fat and (2) muscle tissue.>Main Outcome Measure(s): Three measurement sessions were performed with an electrometer before and after a skin incision and after a muscle incision. Potential differences and current intensity were measured immediately after acute trauma to determine the transient electric changes associated with soft tissue injury.>Results: The electric potentials were significantly more negative after the skin incision (P = .036) and skin plus muscle incision (P = .008; preincision = 0.001 ± 0.015 V, skin incision = −0.127 ± 0.134 V, skin plus muscle incision = −0.192 ± 0.153V). Current intensity changed significantly after the skin plus muscle incision (P = .008; preincision = 0.046 ± 0.112 pA, skin incision = −0.803 ± 0.904 pA, skin plus muscle incision = −1.708 ± 1.302 pA).>Conclusions: Soft tissue trauma generated negative transient electric changes.