The value of fluorescein for predicting viability muscle tissue after high-energy trauma.

Skeletal muscle subjected to high-energy trauma shows discolouration, which in earlier studies was found to imply devitalization. Fluorescein staining has been used to assess the viability of many tissues, and in the present study discolouration was compared with fluorescein staining. Trauma was caused to one thigh of anaesthetized pigs with a high-velocity spherical missile, after which the distribution of discolouration in the traumatized muscle was outlined and photographically recorded, as also were the areas stained with intravenously injected fluorescein. Recordings were made two hours and five hours after the trauma. In distinctly discoloured muscle there was no change in colour with time and no fluorescein staining. In slightly discoloured areas, presenting reduced fluorescence, there was normalization of colour with time as well as increased fluorescence. The observations imply that slightly discoloured traumatized muscle may recover, in contrast to distinctly discoloured muscle. Further, the simple and safe fluorescein staining procedure can be a useful aid in the clinical assessment of viability in traumatized muscle.