062 was sent for surgery yesterday to Boston. This turtle was named Centaurus because of the large crack in the carapace (as seen below) resembling a "black hole". Read more about the naming theme here.
The necrotic bone and tissue that surrounded this fracture did not allow for a repair that would have the two sides placed back together and set to allow possible regrowth and closure. After looking at the wound and getting the best views inside of it, we decided to trim the necrotic bone so that it would become flush with the soft tissue that we could see inside of the wound.
Above you can see us getting ready for surgery. Because the turtle will be anesthestisized for the surgery we need to take a heart rate, which is what Kurt is doing on the left. This is done prior to during and after the procedure. On the right Katie is prepping the site that will be worked on. Ulrika is doing a great job restraining the turtle in both photos.
As with most surgeries and procedures done in the Aquarium, you can see it in the medical center and projected on several monitors.
Above you can see the turtle with an intubation tube and Dr. Innis starting to repair the fracture site. Below he touches up the shell.
You can see the before and after photos. Dr. Innis did a great job as usual on Centaurus.
Centaurus took a little longer to come out of anesthesia and had to be intubated and have slight stimulation to the carapace to help wake the turtle up.
Final heart rate check showing a strong heart beat! The turtle was returned to the water the same day and is swimming and looking good. The surgery also did not decrease its appetite as it has been reported he (or she) ate well today.
Now we will monitor clean and debride the scab tissue and look forward to seeing what happens next with the healing process of the shell.
-Adam
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