Barbaro article in SI is here, if you haven’t seen it:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/more/07/09/barbaro.complication.ap/index.html?cnn=yes
JIngling like mad from FL.
That poor boy:(
Prayers and jingles continue.
continuing jingles for barbaro!
Major prayers and jingles for Bobby. This horse has so much heart. I hope in some way he knows how much people are pulling for him. I know that the regular visits by his owners and Michael Matz are keeping his spirits up.
Jingle, jingle, jingle. Come on big boy, you can do it.
Crazy jingles for Bobby from DC!!
Heard about this in the lesson this AM. Thanks for the continuing updates - jingling as hard as I can!
Jingles from WI…cmon buddy you can get through this…
thinking of the whole team…positive vibes…good luck…
JINGLES
God give you strength Bobbi. May you and your team get through this and back on the road to recovery quickly. You are a strong young horse, hang in there…for all of us, but mostly because we all love and care about you.
Jingles from VA.
How serious is this really? Is it just because they disturbed things in there with replacing the cast and a few screws? I would think antibiotics would take care of an infection. Does anybody know?
He’s a fighter I really think he will make it through this.
Update 191: ESPN’s tentative schedule for today. Jeannine Edwards sent me an e-mail which included the following:
right now i am going live on ESPN news around 4pm, live on sportscenter somewhere between 6-7pm, and then a taped report for the 11 and overnight shows.
More prayes and jingles here…
Oh I hope he pulls through all of this!
LaGringa, this type of injury is not like an infected laceration or something that most of us have dealt with as horse owners… When it’s a serious injury that requires long term care, especially when there is bone injury, infection is the most serious threat to the horse (or at least one of them). We lost a wonderful stallion when he injured his hock and required long term care. Even with the vet there 24X7 and all that modern medicine has to offer, we still lost him after 3 weeks of valient fighting (on his part and ours).
Prayers and jingles to Barbaro and his connections and the New Bolton staff. It just makes for such a heavey heart to hear that he is in discomfort and jeopady - he’s come so far and I pray he’ll bounce back from this.
[quote=La Gringa]
Jingles from VA.
How serious is this really? Is it just because they disturbed things in there with replacing the cast and a few screws? I would think antibiotics would take care of an infection. Does anybody know?
[quote]
Unfortunately, it’s all too easy for infection to set in, especially with decreased blood supply. And frequently these sorts of infections are super-strains, aka antibiotic resistant. Ironically, the strongest bugs are frequently found in a hospital setting.
When I worked in small animal surgery, we had a strain of e. fecalis that just wouldn’t quit. We didn’t lose any animals to it, but it delayed healing and we had to kill off more than a few liver cells with different turbo antibiotics. And the facility was scrupuously clean, but it’s awfully hard to get everything when you can’t see it.
I hate to say it, but this could be a slippery slope for Barbaro.:no:
These infections are tricky, but lets not give up on Barbaro 
!!
I had a horse that died of a “hospital” infection following a relatively routine surgery, but another one that survived an infection following a horrific injury. That’s just the way it goes. I’m hoping Barbaro will be one of the lucky ones! Jingles can’t hurt :sadsmile: .
Jingles, jungles, jingles, jingles!!
Thank you again, VB, for keeping us updated!
La Gringa wrote: How serious is this really? Is it just because they disturbed things in there with replacing the cast and a few screws? I would think antibiotics would take care of an infection. Does anybody know?
As I understand it, the problem with infections involving implantable hardware is a tougher version of the usual problem with treatment of all orthopedic infections: the ability of an adequate active level of antibiotic to which the organisms are susceptible, to penetrate the tissue and reach all parts of the infection.
Both the drugs and the body’s natural defenses are especially challenged in being able to percolate sufficiently through an environment where there are chunks of metal and unnatural crevices wedged into bone, especially when the natural blood supply to the area already has been impaired.
It isn’t always easy to know which organisms are involved, especially if the infection is “deep inside”; often there is more than one and each bug in a mixed infection may be susceptible to different drugs, and one or more of the organisms may be or become resistant to the antibiotics, particularly if the therapy goes on and on without ever quite wiping out the pockets of infection. The infection itself can degrade the bone and tissue as time passes.
It seems reasonable that the reason they went in to mechanically clean out whatever pus and debris they could, was because without “all that stuff” it is more efficient for active levels of the drugs to reach wherever they need to be. The risk of doing that is that this can open up the area to even more sources of infection, but it’s a favorable risk tradeoff.
Any vets or human orthopods care to elaborate?
Not a vet or an orthopod but can give you real human experience with a similar situation. My sister got an infection under a plate in her femur. It was left untreated for a while. What they had to do with her is remove the plate and leave the wound open down to the bone for 3 weeks while they several times a day packed it with an antibiotic dressing. A crash cart was kept outside her room during the 3 weeks. There is also a chance an infection of this type can attack the heart.
In short very serious. At least they got to Barbaro earlier than they did my sister.
New Cast…
Barbaro got a new cast… again… this morning.
Sixth Cast
http://www.vet.upenn.edu/newsandevents/news/Barbaro_Update7-10.htm
Barbaro receives sixth cast
July 10, 2006
KENNETT SQUARE, PA – After evaluating Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro this morning, Dr. Dean Richardson, Chief of Surgery, replaced the cast on the colt’s injured hind leg for a sixth time. “The long leg cast was replaced with a short leg cast this morning. This was done with Barbaro in a sling and only under mild sedation,” said Dr. Richardson. “The long cast was used as extra support during the anesthetic recovery phase. It is much easier for him to move around his stall and get up and down with a short cast. We also found and treated an abscess in his left hind foot that was bothering him.”
Barbaro spent a comfortable night and is eating well after surgery to stabilize the pastern joint this weekend. “We’re continuing his pain medication, antibiotics and other supportive care,” said Dr. Richardson. “He appears more comfortable today and has had a normal temperature, heart rate and overall attitude.”
Barbaro continues to be monitored closely in the Intensive Care Unit of the George D. Widener Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center.
Update 192: New Bolton Press Release: Barbaro receives sixth cast (thanks Faye):
After evaluating Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro this morning, Dr. Dean Richardson, Chief of Surgery, replaced the cast on the colt’s injured hind leg for a sixth time. “The long leg cast was replaced with a short leg cast this morning. This was done with Barbaro in a sling and only under mild sedation,” said Dr. Richardson. “The long cast was used as extra support during the anesthetic recovery phase. It is much easier for him to move around his stall and get up and down with a short cast. We also found and treated an abscess in his left hind foot that was bothering him.”
Barbaro spent a comfortable night and is eating well after surgery to stabilize the pastern joint this weekend. “We’re continuing his pain medication, antibiotics and other supportive care,” said Dr. Richardson. “He appears more comfortable today and has had a normal temperature, heart rate and overall attitude.”
I spoke to Peter Brette a little earlier. He mentioned the new cast. He also noted the second abscess in the good hind leg (left hind) which they can now deal with (I assume they already have). This was good news as it revealed a source of discomfort. Peter (who did visit) said Bobby was standing well and munching on hay when he was leaving. I also spoke with Jeannine Edwards who attended a press conference at New Bolton. I assume content from that will be used for her ESPN bulletins we noted in update 191.
Comments
Thanks Alex!
One day at a time Barbaro, I KNOW you can do this, you’re Barbaro!
Posted by: Lisa Morin at July 10, 2006 08:24 PM
Thank you, Jeanette, for the lovely prayer for Barbaro. I'm sure all our thoughts and prayers are helping Barbaro..
Darn work - I missed the sixth cast…SOOO Glad, that your feeling better with the shorter cast and NO Fever!!
Way to go, I knew you could get thru this one and there’s probably going to be a few more - you can do it Big Boy!!
Lots of love, hugs, and huge scratches…and those carrots, apples and sugar cubes you soo love…
Posted by: lynnette at July 10, 2006 08:28 PM
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