why aren’t metal plates removed when the bones are fully healed?
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If a metal plate is used to fix a broken bone, it is usually only left in for around 12 weeks. After that, the bone has healed enough that the plate isn’t needed anymore. There are a few reasons why doctors might not take the plate out right away though.
The first reason is that removing the plate requires another surgery. This means more time under anesthesia and more risk of infection. It’s better to wait until everything has healed before going through with another surgery if possible.
Another reason is that leaving the plate in gives extra support to the bone while it continues to heal. This can be especially important for bones that take a long time to heal or don’t heal very well. In some cases, plates are even left in permanently if removal would cause more problems than leaving it in place.
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