Surgical management of unilateral open thoracic trauma with multiple rib fractures in a mare.

摘要

A 2.5-year-old mare, 400 kg, with thoracic trauma wound is reported. The case was diagnosed as open thorax with multiple rib fractures and emergency surgical management was performed. It was observed that seven ribs (8-14) of the left side were fractured, but had intact diaphragm. Proximal and distal fragments of the ribs were stabilized with orthopaedic wire. Mild anorexia was observed on day 8 postoperation. Chest radiographs and ultrasound examination revealed pleural fluid in the left thorax upto the level of the base of the heart. A total of 14 litres of serosanguineous fluid was drained using a chest tube for 1 h. The mare was administered with injectable cefotaxime (4 g) every 12 h for seven days. The mare responded to pleural fluid drainage and the anorexia resolved. Regular wound dressing with resulted in complete wound healing in one month time.