Induced fat embolism in rabbits by means of radioactively labelled fat. Evaluation of different treatments.

Fat embolism was induced in the rabbit by administering a suspension containing radioactively (triglyceride) labelled homologous fat. Different kinds of treatment were tested: Ringerdex, 2% dextran 70, 2.2% dextran 40 SoluMedrol, and EPL-a phospholipid mixture with detergent properties. It was sound that fat injection gave a macroscopically and histologically verifiable fat embolism with lung edema. 2% dextran 70 significantly increased edema, whereas 2.2% dextran 40 did not. SoluMedrol significantly decreased edema caused by fat injection. Of the triglyceride administered, 99.5% was recovered as such from the lungs. Practically no radioactivity was found in cerebrum and kidneys. Compared with Ringerdex, no other treatment increased elimination of fat from lungs.