Custom-made antibiotic cement nails: a comparative study of different fabrication techniques

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Biomaterials engineering
• Infectious disease management

Background:

• Intramedullary long bone infections present significant management challenges.
• Antibiotic cement nails are valuable adjuncts for osteomyelitis treatment.
• Current fabrication methods for antibiotic cement nails can be complex and time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce an easy and reproducible technique for fabricating antibiotic cement nails.
• To optimize the process for clinical application and efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Compared two cement-cooling techniques: air-cooling versus conductive cooling (cold water).
• Evaluated the effect of mineral oil on chest tube peeling time and nail surface quality.
• Assessed nail diameter consistency and surface roughness after fabrication.

Main Results:

• Air-cooling resulted in failure to remove the chest tube.
• Conductive cooling with mineral oil reduced nail fabrication peeling time to 7.5 minutes.
• Mineral oil significantly minimized residual plastic debris on the nail surface.

Conclusions:

• Conductive cooling in cold water and pre-lubrication with mineral oil enhance antibiotic nail fabrication.
• These techniques improve efficiency, reliability, and practicality in creating antibiotic cement nails.
• Optimized fabrication supports better management of bone infections.