Early studies show microspheres may prevent bone infections after joint replacement (Eurekalert)
Currently more than 1 million knee replacements and hip replacements are performed each year in the United States, and with the aging population, the number of total joint replacements is expected to grow.
While total joint surgeries have a low risk of infection – between 1 and 3 percent – in those rare instances when bone infection sets in, it can be a devastating setback for patients.
Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and collaborators at Rice University and Shriners Hospital for Children-Houston have evaluated an application that may prevent implant-associated bone infections all together.
In a small preclinical study, researchers studied whether the use of antibiotic-containing microspheres prevented infections in grossly contaminated wounds. Porous metal implants that were coated with the microspheres prevented infection in 100 percent of the 11 specimens. In the tissue and bone surrounding implants that were not coated with the antibiotic delivery system, infection occurred at a rate of 64 percent.
The findings are published this mo...
