The Journal of arthroplasty
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Comparative Study
In vitro release of antibiotics from commercial PMMA beads and articulating hip spacers.
The efficacy and benefits of high-dose antibiotic cement spacers compared with beads in the treatment of an infected prosthesis have been shown. However, in clinical practice, commercial, low-dose antibiotic bone cement is often used. This study investigated the in vitro antibiotic release of hip spacers made from Refobacin-Palacos-R or Antibiotic-Simplex-P cement compared with Septopal beads. ⋯ All carriers showed a burst release, but spacers showed little additional release after the first week. Cumulative release was 27.5 +/- 2.3 mg for Palacos, 23.8 +/- 0.2 mg for Simplex, and 188.3 +/- 9.3 mg for Septopal (P < .001). Despite the efficacy of high-dose antibiotic bone cement spacers, we believe one should be cautious toward using low-dose antibiotic bone cement for spacers because this could result in an unsuccessful eradication of infection.
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Antibiotic-loaded bone cement is extensively used in joint arthroplasty, but increasing bacteria resistance against common antibiotics has lead to a demand for alternative drugs. However, bone cement containing new additives must be characterized both biologically and mechanically. ⋯ The mechanical properties were negatively affected by 1.0 g of vancomycin, but these detrimental effects were acceptable when only 0.5 g of vancomycin were added to a cement containing 0.5 g of meropenem. Further investigations on this formulation with adjusted antibiotic amounts are, however, necessary to reach the optimal compromise between the antibacterial and the mechanical properties of the bone cement.