Cracking of a coated orthopaedic external fixation connecting bar

During the course of a routine orthopaedic surgical procedure, a stainless steel external fixation connecting bar was deliberately bent to accommodate the patient's anatomy. It was found that the bar carried a nickel electrodeposited coating that flaked off the bar surface due to the bending. It is believed that the presence of a nickel coating might cause adverse tissue responses in patients and surgeons should be aware that connecting bars for external fixators might carry such coatings.