Investigation of the efficacy of aminoguanidine in an experimental rat model with isolated bilateral pulmonary contusion due to blunt thoracic trauma Orıgınal Article EMERGENCY MEDICINE Cite this article as: Atik D, Balci Koroglu D, Taslidere B. Investigation of the efficacy of aminoguanidine in an experimental rat model with isolated bilateral pulmonary contusion due to blunt thoracic trauma. North Clin Istanb UNCORRECTED PROOF A mong all trauma cases, chest trauma is the third most common after head and neck and extremity traumas, respectively. Chest trauma is the most common cause of death, especially in the first four decades of life. It occurs due to traffic accidents, occupational accidents, falls and assaults, and constitutes 25% of trauma-related deaths [1]. The mortality rate of isolated chest trauma is 5.5%, but if an additional organ system is injured, this ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: In severe thoracic trauma, the pulmonary contusions that are almost inevitable and associated with high morbidity and mortality. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of aminoguanidine in pulmonary contusion. METHODS: Sixty-three Sprague-male rats were used in this study. Sham and aminoguanidine groups were exposed to isolated blunt thoracic trauma with a force of 1,512 joules. Aminoguanidine was administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 100 mg/kg three hours before the trauma and on the 1. and 2. day after the trauma. The contusion group was exposed to blunt thoracic trauma only. In all groups, arterial blood gas analysis and catalase and NO levels were reported on the 0 th , 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd days. RESULTS: PO 2 levels were higher in the sham group compared to the contusion group, without statistical significance. On the third day, SaO 2 levels were higher in the AG group compared to the contusion group. SaO 2 levels were comparable in the AG and sham groups on days 1, 2 and 3. There was no difference between the PaO 2 levels of the contusion and sham groups on the 2 nd and 3 rd days. There was no difference between the PaO 2 levels of the AG and sham groups on the 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd days. We found no difference between the PaCO 2 levels of the contusion and sham groups on the 0-3 days. There was no difference between the PaCO 2 levels of the AG and sham groups on the 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd days. No difference was observed between the PaCO 2 levels of the AG and contusion groups on the 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd days. No significant difference was found between the NO levels of the sham and the contusion groups on day 0. There was a significant difference between the sham and contusion groups on the 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd days. There was no statistically significant difference between the catalase enzyme activities of the sham and AG groups. CONCLUSION: In our study, we showed that the use of aminoguanidine did not significantly reduce the severity of pulmonary contusion and the inflammatory reaction induced by thoracic trauma in rats.