Fig. 9. A, SPL repair: The 20-gauge, 1.25-inch catheter is threaded halfway into one end of the broken tubing. The catheter stylet is then removed. B, The hub of the catheter is cut off. C, The other end of the broken SPL tubing is carefully “shimmied” onto the remaining length of catheter until the two ends meet. D, The spliced tubing section is wrapped with tape, then sutured with a separate tape wing to the horse’s skin.
for lavage with an antiseptic solution is uncon- firmed.3 The tube suspension arrangement (braids, sutured tape wings) may require rebraiding, resutur- ing, or new tape application.
Removal
SPL tubes are easily removed in the standing, sedated horse by cutting the tubing a few centime- ters away from the fornix or cul-de-sac exit site and
170 2013 Vol. 59 AAEP PROCEEDINGS
removing all wings or guides that attach the cut section to the face. The tubing that remains at- tached to the footplate can be used as a “pole” to push the footplate away from the conjunctiva and into the fornix space (Fig. 8). A gloved finger is used to fish the footplate and short length of tubing out of the fornix and remove it. Occasionally, the footplate will remain buried in the conjunctival tissues. In these instances,
