Release of tobramycin from tobramycin-containing bone cement in bone and serum of rabbits

Tobramycin release from tobramycin-containing bone cement was studied in vivo in a rabbit model. After insertion of cement into the right femur, tobramycin concentration as a function of time for up to 28 days was measured in serum and bone of rabbits. Tobramycin release in the femoral cortex adjacent to the cement was found to exceed the minimal inhibitory concentration for Staphylococcus aureus Wood 46. Serum tobramycin concentrations were below the systemic toxicity threshold.