Tissue injury by high frequency electric current: observations with the Sandison-Clark ear-chamber. 1. Injury to small blood vessels.

Abstract

SUMMARYHigh frequency current has been employed to produce minute injuries to selected blood vessels within Sandison‐Clark rabbit ear‐chambers. There are two principal findings.First, at the surface of injured endothelial cells transparent blister‐like structures appear which, after increasing in size, separate from the cell as transparent globular bodies, floating freely in the plasma. It is concluded that these structures are produced by the damaged endothelial cells.Second, the area of vascular damage apparent within one hour of injury is increased fivefold by 24 hours. It is suggested that the initially injured cells may liberate diffusible chemical factors which secondarily injure the surrounding endothelial cells. Alternatively, or perhaps additionally, this phenomenon may be due to initial latent cell injury which only gradually becomes visible with the passage of time.