Analysis of the biomechanical response of kidneys under blunt impact

Schmitt, K.-U.<sup>1,2</sup>; Snedeker, J. G.<sup>1</sup>

Affiliations

¹Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and University of Zurich, Switzerland

²Working Group on Accident Mechanics (AGU), Zurich, Switzerland

Abstract and keywords

This study addresses the biomechanical response of kidneys to traumatic insult by pendulum impact. Force-deformation characteristics were derived for 65 impacted adult pig kidneys. Renal injuries were classified by autopsy, and an injury risk analysis was performed. An energy based injury threshold was identified, with a strain energy density of 21 kJ/m3 corresponding to a 50% risk of renal injury level AIS3 or higher. Finally, the impact tests were simulated using a finite element model of the human kidney to investigate underlying injury mechanisms. The model predicted the renal capsule and underlying parenchyma to first fail at an impact energy level of 4.0J, consistent with experimental results.

Keywords: Kidney; blunt impact; abdomen; biomechanics

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Cited By (1)

Year	Entry
2011	Beillas P, Berthet F. Development of a new finite element model of the abdomen for impact. In: Proceedings of the 39th International Workshop on Human Subjects for Biomechanical Research. 2011.