Fig. 1

a, b Apparatus used for the multiple trauma mouse model. A cylindrical weight of 500 g was dropped through a tube onto a plunger in contact with the chest of an anesthetized mouse. Mice were placed on a cross on a platform of acrylic glass immediately below the plunger. The plunger allowed induction of a bilateral pulmonary contusion. c Induction of femur fracture. Before a closed femur fracture was induced, the femur was stabilized using a cannula (Sterican 0.55 × 25 LILA lI) from the knee joint to the femoral neck. The method used to induce femur fracture was first described by Bonnarens. After primary wound closure, a standardized femur fracture was induced using a blunt guillotine device with a weight of 500 g (0.784 J)