Cool Mist Irrigation Improves Heat Dissipation during Surgical Bone Drilling

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• High-speed drilling in bone generates heat, posing risks to delicate neurovascular tissues.
• Accessing cranial lesions often requires drilling in confined spaces where heat dissipation is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of continuous pressurized cold mist as a superior cooling method during bone drilling.
• To compare mist cooling with traditional flood irrigation for temperature reduction and fluid efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Ex-vivo drilling tests were conducted on cortical bone samples under controlled parameters (speed, feed, depth).
• Temperature changes were measured using embedded thermocouples comparing cold mist (3°C, <300 mL/h) and flood irrigation (22°C, >800 mL/h).

Main Results:

• Mist cooling resulted in approximately 4°C lower temperatures compared to flood irrigation (p < 0.05).
• This significant cooling was achieved with less than one-third of the fluid flow rate used in flood irrigation.

Conclusions:

• Continuous cold mist cooling effectively reduces heat generation during bone drilling.
• This technique allows for reduced fluid usage, targeted cooling, and potentially an improved field of view in minimally invasive surgical corridors.