Barbaro fractures leg in Preakness

[Grace]

I would really like to know who made the plate and screws.

Synthes is the company that makes the human stuff and I was very interested to see if the adapted human stuff for horses.

Same company, Richard. I found this article - in the Elmira, NY Star-Gazette.

Big Flats' Synthes plays role in Barbaro's healing
Company made plate used to repair champion race horse's broken leg.
By G. JEFFREY AARON
Star-Gazette
May 24, 2006


The stainless steel bone plate used to repair Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro's right hind leg -- broken during Saturday's running of the Preakness -- was made at the Synthes plant in Big Flats.

"The employees are proud to know that they were able to play a part in giving Barbaro a chance to survive his injury," Ronald Lerner, general manager of plant wrote in an e-mail to the Star-Gazette.

"We often hear of injuries to people we know who are treated with our implants and the same sense of pride felt by the Synthes employees is a motivating factor in the excellent quality built into our products."

The plant produced the locking compression plate used to repair the horse's right rear leg.

The plates and screws used on the thoroughbred are widely used in human hospitals around the world. The plate - made from stainless steel using a formula a body will tolerate -- used for Barbaro's ankle would be appropriate for a large adult's thigh bone, according to Christopher Scholl, the director of the company's Vet Division.

The goal of the operation was to have the bone fragments heal and fuse the horse's ankle in a fixed position.

In performing the operation, veterinarian Dr. Dean Richardson put back together as many of the large bone fragments as possible using the plate and individual screws, which were made in Synthes plants in Colorado and Switzerland. The plate now acts to carry the horse's weight while the bone heals.

The locking compression plate is a relatively new technology developed by Synthes and the AO ASIF surgeon group.

The novel feature of the implants are that the screws lock into the bone plate via threads in the screw head.

The process provides a rigid implant that can withstand larger weight loads.

It was introduced in 2000 for humans and Richardson was one of the first veterinary surgeons to try the new technology in horses, Scholl wrote.

[Vela]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13036999/

[gemini9961]

Awesome news. I read the other day he was doing well and seeing now he's had an incredible week is great.

[ramanth]

Fingers still crossed for Barbaro!

[K9soul]

I've been working on a tribute to Barbaro that I finished tonight.. I thought I'd throw up a link here in case anyone would like to see it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yf3trTH49Q

[Vela]

I saw it! about eight times...Thanks Jess, it's really awesome, the music is so appropriate and now I have to go watch Phar Lap too. Made me smile and made me cry, I miss him.

To all of those interested, he is still doing well at this time. No new information, just waiting for him to heal to see if he can make it. So far he's facing the hurdles like the champion he is, and he has overcome them all up to now, keep him in your prayers for a recovery that will give him a happy comfortable life.

[Riptide]

poor Barbaro

[luvofallhorses]

I've been working on a tribute to Barbaro that I finished tonight.. I thought I'd throw up a link here in case anyone would like to see it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMdKLza49tE

that was a great video!

[Vela]

No he's not better yet. He may not get better, it's a long wait and see game, as I stated above, he is doing well so far but he is not out of the woods yet and complications could set in at any time at this point. But hopefully he will just continue on this path and come out okay on the other side.