Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Plates, pins, and interlocking nails.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary clinics of North America. Food animal practice
- Year:
- 2014
- Authors:
- Nuss, Karl
- Affiliation:
- Department of Farm Animals
Plain-English summary
There isn't a clear set of guidelines for the best way to treat broken bones in cows. Using plates and screws inside the bone can effectively fix many long bone fractures in calves and larger cattle. For fractures in the upper arm or thigh of calves, using pins inside the bone might work just as well or even better. In cases where the bone is shattered in heavier cattle, external devices to hold the bone in place are still necessary. New locking plates have made it easier to treat these fractures, but their high cost and uncertain outcomes can make them less accessible.
Abstract
Evidence-based criteria that promise the best treatment outcome for bovine fracture patients have not been established. Internal fixation with plates and screws allows successful management of many long bone fractures in calves as well as in heavier cattle. Intramedullary pins may be better or equally suited for repair of humerus or femoral fractures in calves, respectively. In richly comminuted fractures in heavy cattle, methods of external fixation are still indicated. With newly introduced locking plates, treatment options for repair of long bone fractures in cattle have further improved, but high costs and a guarded prognosis limit their application.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24534661/