J Korean Orthop Assoc.  1977 Dec;12(4):589-599. 10.4055/jkoa.1977.12.4.589.

The effects of antibiotic Incorporation to Acrylic bone Cement upon Bacterial Viability and its Physical Properties

• Hahn MS
• Lee SH

• KMID: 2460660
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4055/jkoa.1977.12.4.589

Abstract

Infection is one of the most serious complications following total hip replacement arthroplasty. Many modifications of procedures have been advocated in order to reduce the rate of infection with varying success. Incorporation of antibiotic to bone cement is one such approach. However, there still remains some reluctancy to adopt this method on account of dubious antibiotic effect at the expense of weakening of physical properties. Possible emergence of resistant organisms and hypersensitivity are additional drawbacks to be considered. The present experiments were undertaken to study the effectiveness of antibacterial activity of cement-antibiotic admixtures in vitro and in vivo as well as change of physical properties produced by the incorporation. As conclusions, antibiotic-mixed bone cements have evident effects on growth of inoculated organisms sensitive to added antibiotics whereas cured bone cement itself has been proved not to have any antibacterial activity. The leaching of antibiotics occurs fairly soon, the great majority of the amount within several days. The rest shows slow, delayed leaching over period of three weeks. The weakening of physical properties was not so significant to forbid the application. Resistance to tensile and bending stress was more reduced than that to compression stress. The mixing of two antibiotics(Cephaloridine and Gentamicin powder) together to bone cement revealed double-edged effectiveness to either of gram-positive or negative organisms without any significant illeffects on hardness of cured cement, It is suggested that mixture of two antibiotics to bone cement renders broader blind coverage to unknown causative micro-organisms of postoperative deep infection of total hip replacement arthroplasty.

MeSH Terms

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Arthroplasty
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip
Bone Cements
Gentamicins
Hardness
Hypersensitivity
In Vitro Techniques
Methods
Microbial Viability*
Polymethyl Methacrylate*
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Bone Cements
Gentamicins
Polymethyl Methacrylate