Emergency screws

If a screw spins during insertion due to overdrilling, it must be replaced with an emergency screw. Replacement with a slightly larger (emergency) screw will rectify the situation and allow for stable fixation.

In this illustration, a plate is shown fixed with a screw in an overdrilled hole (screw A). Note that the threads of the screw are not engaging the bone.

Screw B shows that screw A has been replaced with a larger diameter screw (emergency screw). The threads of the emergency screw now can be seen engaging the bone.