[Investigations on combined injuries, 24th communication: response of blood circulation and respiratory function in mice upon whom was inflicted whole-body irradiation in combination with open skin wounds (author's transl)].

Combined injuries were inflicted upon NMRI-mice, hurting each with an open skin wound subsequent to sublethal exposition to X-rays. Lethality among animals with combined injuries was between 40 and 60%, while animals only irradiated and those with only a skin wound had lethalities between 10 and 20% and 0%, respectively. Blood circulation and respiration of animals injured with combined lesions were studied in an attempt to understand the cause of the high lethality in this group. The blood volume and the oxygen transport capacity were drastically reduced in animals with combined injuries as compared to those in animals only irradiated, although plasma volume, vascular permeability and distribution of the blood volume remained similar in both groups. Analyses of gases and acid/base composition of blood revealed neither respiratory nor metabolic acidosis. These findings indicate that combined injuries hardly impair blood circulation and respiratory function.