Pilot study tests UV adhesive as bandage alternative in horses

A new pilot study in Animals is testing whether a UV-polymerizable methacrylate adhesive can stand in for a postoperative bandage after transphyseal screw placement in horses, and the early answer is: maybe, in the right location. Across 153 sutured stab incisions in 102 horses, the adhesive did not increase surgical site infection risk overall, and it performed especially well in carpal incisions. But at the fetlock, the material was more likely to displace than a conventional bandage. (mdpi.com)

That question matters because transphyseal screw placement is a common technique for managing angular limb deformities in foals and young horses, and postoperative bandaging is routine. Recent field-oriented discussion in the equine literature still describes closing the small incision and applying a sterile dressing with Vetrap for four to six days. In practice, however, distal limb bandages can slip, wrinkle, or require replacement, creating extra handling for the horse and more work for the veterinary team and pet parent. (equimanagement.com)

The Animals paper reports that 75 incisions received UV-PMA and 78 were managed with bandages. For carpal incisions, surgical site infection differed significantly between groups: 4 of 31 bandaged incisions developed infection, compared with none in the UV-PMA group. For fetlock incisions, infection rates were similar between approaches, but retention was not: adhesive displacement occurred in 9 of 30 fetlock incisions versus bandage slippage in 2 of 47 controls. The authors concluded that the adhesive shows preliminary promise as a bandage substitute, particularly for the carpus, while the fetlock results warrant caution and further study. (mdpi.com)

There’s also a broader development arc here. A related 2026 ECVS meeting abstract appears to describe an expanded prospective case-control dataset of 156 incisions in 105 horses, again finding low overall infection prevalence and no increased infection risk with UV-PMA. That conference report noted glue adherence in 81% of treated incisions, with slippage in 19% during the first postoperative week. While conference abstracts are preliminary and may not match the final peer-reviewed paper exactly, they suggest the authors are continuing to refine and present the technique. (ecvs.org)

Background on the material itself is also useful. UV-polymerizable methacrylate adhesives have already been explored in equine surgery outside skin coverage. A 2021 pilot study on equine jejunal anastomoses found the adhesive was fast to apply and created a smooth covering, but the tested technique was not ready for clinical use because the construct failed unfavorably under pressure. That earlier work doesn’t answer the incision-coverage question directly, but it does show this material has been under investigation in equine surgery for several years rather than appearing out of nowhere. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is less about replacing every bandage and more about identifying where a bandage-free approach could be practical. Carpal incisions may be the most promising target, especially when bandage retention is difficult or when minimizing postoperative handling is a priority. Fetlock incisions are a different story: the higher displacement rate likely reflects motion and anatomy at the distal limb, which could limit real-world reliability unless the formulation or application technique changes. For practices doing a high volume of transphyseal screw procedures, even a partial reduction in bandage use could affect workflow, recheck demands, and client instructions. (mdpi.com)

The study’s limits are important. It was a pilot study, the sample size was modest, and the strongest benefit signal was location-specific. It also evaluated a narrow use case, transphyseal screw incisions, rather than a broad range of equine wounds or orthopedic procedures. That means clinicians should read this as an early procedural insight, not a reason to abandon established postoperative protection protocols. (mdpi.com)

What to watch: The next step is a larger randomized trial that separates carpal and fetlock outcomes clearly, tracks adhesive retention under field conditions, and tests whether technique changes can reduce displacement at the fetlock. If those data hold up, UV-cured adhesive could become a selective tool for equine postoperative incision management rather than a wholesale replacement for bandaging. (mdpi.com)