Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How a new method helped pets with flail chest injuries
By McAnulty, J F·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·1995·Department of Surgical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: A simplified method for stabilization of flail chest injuries in small animals.
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old male dog and a 3-year-old male cat were brought in with flail chest injuries, which can cause serious breathing problems. They were treated using a new method that involved placing a splint and securing the ribs with a single stitch around each affected rib. This technique was quick and helped both pets breathe better without causing any infections or other issues. The splint was left in place for two of the animals, and they showed significant improvement in their breathing.
People also search for: dog flail chest injury treatment · cat breathing problems · splint for dog ribs · how to treat flail chest in pets
Abstract
Two dogs and one cat with flail chest injuries were treated by a new technique of external thoracic wall stabilization using a single circumcostal suture for each affected rib and a splint device. Application of the splint device was quick and required minimal manipulation of the patient. Stabilization of the flail chest resulted in improved respiration in each animal. The splint device was left in place in two of the animals as the sole means of rib fixation. No evidence of infection or other adverse effects were noted with this technique.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7773759/