If you recall from the post last fall, Augie was rescued off of the coast of North Carolina with an open fracture of his right flipper. Through the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, (Craig Harms, Marcellin-Little and Emily Christiansen), we collaborated with the NC Aquarium at Roanoke Island (Christian Legner) and the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (NEST) to design and fabricate a custom fit splint to stabilize the injury while Augie healed. The splint was fabricated on our Objet Connex 350 using Vero-Clear material and we also made a backup brace with the ABS-like material. The fit of the brace to the flipper was tested on a model of the flipper, also made on the Objet Connex 350 with Tango-Plus material representing the soft tissues and Vero-White material for the bones.
The model was derived from a CT scan made at the Albemarle Health Regional Medical Center. Here is a short video of the scanning that was posted online:
The brace stabilized the fracture allowing Augie to swim and eat. The video below that was posted on youtube shows Augie swimming in a pool at the aquarium.
However, some field modifications were required after about two weeks. Relative motion between the brace and the flipper caused minor irritation which was alleviated by padding that was added to the proximal/volar surface.
However, some field modifications were required after about two weeks. Relative motion between the brace and the flipper caused minor irritation which was alleviated by padding that was added to the proximal/volar surface.
After about 40 days the splint broke, possibly while Augie’s pool was being drained and he was able to flap against the bottom of the pool. While we had backup splints ready to go, the Veterinarians in charge of Augie’s care decided that he had healed enough to swim without it. These recent pictures show the extent of the healing. According to his veterinarians, Augie is doing very well but is not quite ready to be released back into the ocean. We will provide further updates as we learn more. Thanks to Emily Christiansen for the great pictures!
