Effects of enoxaparin and rivaroxaban on tissue survival in skin degloving injury: an experimental study

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the antithrombotic agents enoxaparinand rivaroxaban on tissue survival following skin degloving injury in an experimental rat tail model.Methods: The study included 24 rats divided into three equal groups of 8; the enoxaparin group(Group 1), the rivaroxaban group (Group 2) and the saline control group (Group 3). A deglovinginjury was created by making a circular incision 5 cm distal to the base of the tail; manual traction wasapplied to the tail skin distal to the incision. After 15 minutes, the ends of the incision were suturedback in place. Antithrombotic agents were administered immediately after suturing and repeated once a day for 15 days. At the end of Day 15, the experiment was terminated. Gross morphological tissue survival and histopathology were evaluated. Results: Histopathological examination of the enoxaparin and rivaroxaban groups revealed that the skin was mostly normal or intact with minimal inflammation. The mean length of necrotic area was significantly higher in the saline group compared to the enoxaparin and rivaroxaban groups (p 0.05). No statistically significant differences were noted between the rivaroxaban and enoxaparin groups (p=0.451). The mean extent of skin necrosis was significantly higher in the control group than the study groups (p 0.05), while there was no significant difference in the length of necrotic area between Group 1 and 2 (p=0.722). Conclusion: Rivaroxaban and enoxaparin improved tissue survival in skin degloving injuries in terms of gross morphological and histopathological findings in a rat tail model.