Bone temperature during cementation with a heatsink: a bovine model pilot study.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Biomaterials science
• Surgical techniques

Background:

• Bone cement polymerization generates high temperatures, posing a risk of thermal injury to bone (osteonecrosis).
• This thermal injury can lead to implant loosening, compromising prosthesis success.
• Current methods to mitigate heat, like using irrigation fluid, lack research support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of using a heatsink to reduce bone temperature during cementation.
• To assess a simple technique for measuring bone temperature during simulated cementing procedures.

Main Methods:

• A model acetabulum in a bovine humerus was used to simulate bone cementing.
• Temperature probes measured bone temperatures at various depths and distances from the acetabular rim.
• Models were cemented with Palacos RG, with some containing a room temperature water heatsink.

Main Results:

• In models without a heatsink, peak temperatures reached 40.3°C with a mean rise of 10.9°C.
• Models utilizing a heatsink demonstrated an average fall in bone temperature of 4.4°C during cementing.
• The study established a simple, repeatable method for temperature measurement.

Conclusions:

• Employing a heatsink during prosthesis cementing can effectively reduce peak bone temperatures.
• This technique offers a promising strategy to minimize thermal damage to bone during orthopedic procedures.
• The findings support further investigation in larger trials to validate the clinical application.