Mechanical strength and wear of used EBI external fixators

Thirty-one EBI external fixators (Dynafix; EBI, Parsippany, NJ) subjected to one or two clinical uses underwent static mechanical testing identical to that performed on new devices prior to market approval. No fixator exhibited catastrophic mechanical failure. For all fixators tested, the mean load to failure was not significantly different from that of identical testing of new devices. Although loss of material from serrated joints was observed in some joints, mechanical strength was not affected. Additional testing of fixators of a variety of designs is necessary to expand on the results of this investigation. The results of this study represent a first step in validating the safety of external fixator component reuse.