Hair embolism in lungs of rat and rabbit caused by intravenous injection

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Abstract
Among 1422 Sprague-Dawley rats treated daily for 28 consecutive days by i.v. injection, 144 animals (10·1%) showed particles of hair in thrombi at the site of injection. 381 rats (26·8%) had pulmonary emboli with fragments of hair and skin in arterial thrombi or in giant cell granulomas. 6 weeks after cessation of treatment lesions were still found in lungs from 5 of 90 rats (5·6%) allowed to recover. After the experimental administration of 0·75 ml/100 g body wt of a hair suspension (3000 hair particles/ml) to rats, there was no influence on phagocytosis whether endogenous or foreign hairs were injected. In 8 of 64 Himalayan rabbits (12·5%) given 28 injections each into ear veins pulmonary embolism was observed.