Medium Kit 2.7/3.5/4.0mm – Veterinary Small Animal Bone Plate and Screw System

The Medium Kit 2.7/3.5/4.0mm from Peak Surgicals (SKU: PS-VMK-00157) is a veterinary small animal bone plate and screw implant system covering three diameters — 2.7mm cortical, 3.5mm cortical, and 4.0mm cancellous — with a full complement of reusable instruments and a 60-screw implant inventory, designed for open reduction and internal fixation of long bone and periarticular fractures in medium-sized dogs and cats. The set includes six Neutral and Load Drill Guides (×2 each for 2.0mm, 2.5mm, and 3.2mm drills), three Combined Drill Guides and Tap Sleeves (2.0mm/2.7mm, 2.5mm/3.5mm, 3.2mm/4.0mm), three Bone Taps (2.7mm, 3.5mm, 4.0mm), a Depth Gauge, a 2.5mm Hex Head Screwdriver with Screw Holding Sleeve, Small Screw Holding Forceps, Small and Large Plate Benders (one pair each), two Periosteal Elevators (Round Head and Flat Head), a Broken Screw Extractor, two Reduction Forceps (plain and with point), two Self-Centering Forceps, Small and Large Countersinks, six Bone Plates (3 × 2.7mm and 3 × 3.5/4.0mm), and 60 Bone Screws — 20 each of 2.7mm cortical self-tapping hex head, 3.5mm cortical self-tapping hex head, and 4.0mm cancellous self-tapping hex head. It is used by veterinary surgeons performing ORIF of tibial, femoral, radial, humeral, and other long bone fractures, as well as corrective osteotomies and arthrodeses in medium-sized dogs and selected large cats.

Three-Diameter Coverage: 2.7mm, 3.5mm, and 4.0mm for Medium-Sized Dogs

The three screw diameters in this set address the range of cortical and cancellous bone purchase requirements encountered in medium-sized dog (approximately 10–40kg) and large cat orthopaedic surgery. The 2.7mm cortical screws are sized for the tibia, radius, and ulna in smaller dogs (10–20kg) and for the metacarpals, metatarsals, and smaller long bones in medium dogs where the cortical thickness limits the permissible screw diameter to avoid cortical splitting. The 3.5mm cortical screws are the primary diaphyseal fixation screw for the femur, tibia, and humerus of medium-to-large dogs (20–40kg), providing sufficient bicortical engagement and pullout resistance for the deforming muscle forces at these levels. The 4.0mm cancellous screws provide the coarser thread pitch required for metaphyseal and periarticular cancellous bone purchase — at the distal femur, proximal tibia, distal humerus, and for lag screw fixation across epiphyseal fracture lines where the available bone is predominantly trabecular. The lower starting diameter of this set compared to the Complete Orthopedic System for Small Autoclaves (which also includes 1.5mm and 2.0mm systems) reflects the Medium Kit's focus on the 10kg-and-above patient range without the micro-diameter systems needed for cats and toy breeds below 10kg.

Drill Guides: Neutral, Load, and Combined Drill Guide and Tap Sleeve

The six Neutral and Load Drill Guides — two each for the 2.0mm drill (matched to 2.7mm screws), 2.5mm drill (matched to 3.5mm screws), and 3.2mm drill (matched to 4.0mm screws) — provide both non-compression and compression drilling modes for each screw diameter. The Neutral Drill Guide centres the drill in the oval plate hole for placement of neutralisation or position screws that do not generate interfragmentary compression. The Load Drill Guide offsets the drill eccentrically in the oval hole toward the fracture end — as the screw is tightened and the screw head engages the sloped oval hole edge, the plate slides away from the fracture and the bone fragment is pulled toward the opposing fragment, generating axial interfragmentary compression. The three Combined Drill Guides and Tap Sleeves — 2.0mm drill / 2.7mm tap sleeve, 2.5mm drill / 3.5mm tap sleeve, 3.2mm drill / 4.0mm tap sleeve — combine the drilling guide and tap sleeve into a single instrument, reducing the number of instrument exchanges during the screw preparation sequence and protecting the plate hole threads during tapping. This combined-instrument design is an advantage of this set over the Complete Orthopedic System for Small Autoclaves, which uses separate drill guides and tap sleeves.

Reduction Forceps, Self-Centering Forceps, Periosteal Elevators, and Broken Screw Extractor

The two Reduction Forceps — plain and with point — are the primary fracture reduction instruments in this set, gripping the bone fragments above and below the fracture line to reduce them to anatomical alignment before plate application. The plain Reduction Forceps grips the bone cortex without penetrating; the pointed Reduction Forceps penetrates the cortex slightly with its pointed tip for better purchase on smooth or rounded cortical surfaces where the plain forceps tends to slip. The two Self-Centering Forceps maintain the plate in its correct position against the bone surface during the first screw placement — the self-centering jaw engages both the plate and the bone surface simultaneously, holding the plate centred over the fracture without requiring the surgeon or assistant to maintain manual pressure during drilling. The Periosteal Elevator Round Head and Periosteal Elevator Flat Head are used for subperiosteal dissection during the surgical approach, elevating the periosteum cleanly off the bone surface to expose the fracture site and the bone length required for plate application without damaging the periosteal blood supply. The Broken Screw Extractor removes screw shafts that have fractured within the bone cortex during insertion or at revision surgery — the extractor's reverse-threaded tip engages the broken screw shaft and backs it out of the bone without further cortical damage, a critical instrument for managing broken screw complications that is not included in the Complete Orthopedic System for Small Autoclaves.

Plate Benders, Countersinks, Depth Gauge, and Screwdriver

The Small Plate Benders pair contours 2.7mm plates to match the individual bone surface curvature before plate application. The Large Plate Benders pair contours the 3.5/4.0mm plates. Both pairs apply controlled three-point bending force without introducing stress risers or notch fractures in the plate material at the bend point — the plate must be contoured to the bone surface before application because a flat plate applied to a curved bone surface contacts only at the plate ends, creating fulcrum-point overloading of the end screws. The Small and Large Countersinks recess the cortical plate hole entry at the bone surface to recess the screw head flush with or below the plate, reducing periosteal irritation and implant prominence. The Depth Gauge measures the bicortical drill depth for screw length selection before screw insertion. The 2.5mm Hex Head Screwdriver with Screw Holding Sleeve drives all three screw diameter sizes in this set — the 2.5mm hex socket engages the hex head of the 2.7mm, 3.5mm, and 4.0mm screws, and the Screw Holding Sleeve retains the screw on the driver tip during introduction through the incision into the plate hole, preventing screw drop into the wound. The Small Screw Holding Forceps provides an alternative non-magnetic screw handling option during introduction.

Product Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

What patient sizes and species is this kit designed for?
The Medium Kit 2.7/3.5/4.0mm is designed for small animal orthopaedic surgery in medium-sized dogs and large cats. The 2.7mm system covers smaller dogs of approximately 10–20kg and selected long bones of medium cats where the cortical dimensions allow 2.7mm screws without splitting. The 3.5mm system is the primary diaphyseal fixation for medium-to-large dogs of approximately 20–40kg for femoral, tibial, and humeral fractures. The 4.0mm cancellous screws extend coverage to periarticular and epiphyseal fractures in any patient within the medium dog range. The kit does not include 1.5mm or 2.0mm systems — it is therefore not appropriate for cats under approximately 5–7kg, toy breeds, or patients whose long bone cortices are too thin for 2.7mm screws. Veterinary practices treating the full size range of cats and small dogs should also consider the Complete Orthopedic System for Small Autoclaves (PS-COSSA-00151, $1,758.90) from Peak Surgicals, which includes 1.5mm and 2.0mm systems in addition to the 2.7–4.0mm range.

How does this set differ from the Complete Orthopedic System for Small Autoclaves also available from Peak Surgicals?
Both are veterinary small animal bone plate and screw systems with overlapping diameter coverage (both include 2.7mm, 3.5mm, and 4.0mm). The Complete Orthopedic System for Small Autoclaves (PS-COSSA-00151, $1,758.90) covers five diameters — 1.5mm, 2.0mm, 2.7mm, 3.5mm, and 4.0mm — and includes 100 screws (20 per diameter) with autoclave case-compatible storage, making it the broader system for practices treating the full patient size range from small cats to medium dogs. The Medium Kit 2.7/3.5/4.0mm (PS-VMK-00157, $1,430.00) covers only three diameters but adds several instruments absent from the small autoclave set: Combined Drill Guides and Tap Sleeves (integrating both functions in one instrument per diameter), Reduction Forceps (plain and with point), two Self-Centering Forceps, Periosteal Elevators (round and flat head), and a Broken Screw Extractor. The Medium Kit is better equipped for the complete surgical approach and fracture reduction workflow in medium dog cases, while the Complete Orthopedic System provides the broader diameter range for mixed patient caseloads.

What is the Broken Screw Extractor used for?
The Broken Screw Extractor removes the shaft of a cortical or cancellous bone screw that has fractured within the bone cortex during insertion or at revision surgery. Screw fracture during insertion occurs most commonly when a self-tapping screw is inserted without pre-tapping in dense cortical bone, when the screw is cross-threaded at the cortical entry, or when a screw is over-tightened in thin cortical bone. The Broken Screw Extractor has a reverse-threaded flute that engages the exposed fractured cross-section of the broken screw shaft — the extractor is advanced into the broken screw shaft by rotation in the extraction direction (the opposite direction from insertion), the reverse thread cuts into the broken metal, and continued rotation backs the broken screw out of the bone. At revision surgery, the Broken Screw Extractor allows removal of previously placed screws whose heads have been stripped or fractured during implant removal, enabling plate and hardware removal without requiring aggressive bone removal around the screw shaft. This instrument is a significant addition to this set that is not present in the Complete Orthopedic System for Small Autoclaves.

What is the difference between the plain Reduction Forceps and the Reduction Forceps with Point?
The plain Reduction Forceps grips the bone cortex with flat jaw faces, distributing the grip force over a wider contact area without penetrating the cortex — suited for bones with good cortical thickness and surface regularity where the broad jaw provides adequate grip without slipping. The Reduction Forceps with Point has one or both jaw tips drawn to a sharp point that penetrates the cortex slightly, creating a purchase point in the bone surface — suited for smooth, rounded, or thin cortical surfaces where the plain forceps tends to slide off the bone when significant reduction force is applied across the fracture site. In practice, the pointed forceps provides more reliable fracture reduction grip on cylindrical long bone diaphyses (femoral shaft, tibial shaft) where the curved cortical surface causes flat jaws to slide, while the plain forceps is used for metaphyseal and periarticular bone where the surface is less curved and the cortex is thinner.

Can individual screws or plates be ordered as replacements?
Individual screw packs by diameter (2.7mm, 3.5mm, 4.0mm) and bone plates by diameter are available from Peak Surgicals as replacement items for the Medium Kit. Veterinary practices performing multiple cases per day will exhaust the 20-screw-per-diameter inventory more quickly than the reusable instruments wear, and replacement screw packs allow the instrument set to be restocked between cases without replacing the complete system. OEM manufacturing and custom set configurations are available for veterinary distributors. Contact Peak Surgicals directly for replacement component pricing and institutional procurement arrangements.