Influence of loading speed on the mechanical properties of the colon
Résumé
Trauma is a leading cause of death for young people in developed countries, becoming a public health issue. After the spleen and liver, the digestive tract is the third most frequently affected organ during blunt abdominal trauma. Gastrointestinal injuries are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality due to the difficulty in diagnosing such intestinal lesions and the resulting delay in treatment. In-depth studies are required to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms that are responsible for these intestinal lesions. Virtual trauma studies using numerical models of the intra-abdominal organs are among the most promising means that are used to study and predict the occurrence of intestinal injuries during abdominal trauma. Mechanical behaviour of the colon has only been studied under quasi-static loads. This study involves the experimental characterization of the mechanical behaviour of the colon using tensile tests to determine the mechanical response under different loads.