my uncle recently broke his right upper
arm in three places. He was brought in
for emergency surgery and the doctors used
ao plates and 13 screws to hold his bones
together. The doctor said that he had the
option of either removing the plates and
screws after one year or just leaving them
in. Which is better? He is extremely
worried about this and does not know what
to do, please help!
Thanks!
|
purple333
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 1420 Location: Sydney
Posted: 01-15-04 14:45pm
My ortho dr put screws in the bones under
my knees at the top of the bottom half of
my leg 30 years ago & i've never had
an instant of trouble with them, even
after further surgery on my knees the
following year.
The dr then said there was no reason to
remove the screws they wouldn't do any
harm either way.
But, in your uncle's case there's several
plates & 13 screws so I personally
think he should try & get several
opinions from good orthopaedic surgeons
& keep researching on health
sites/forums etc. I definitely wouldn't
keep or take them out without alot more
factual information & other opinions!!
Too dodgy.
I would also suggest that your uncle start
taking strong calcium supplements to help
strengthen his bones (especially that
one!!) along with viatmin/mineral
supplements for arthritis which he's
almost certainly going to get otherwise.
|
tjone
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 10
Thanks: 2
Thanked:0
Posted: 06-16-08 20:59pm
Usually hardware does not need to be
removed unless it becomes symptomatic
which is generally uncommon. Once the
fracture heals the plate and screws can be
removed if it feels prominent, causes pain
or if the hardware fails. It is usually
best to leave it in if it is not
symptomatic because it avoids a second
operation. The second operation also
increases the chances for infection and is
not necessary in most cases.
