Currently, plastic surgeons use screw-in metal plates to fix unstable broken bones together. However, there may soon be a less problematic, more customizable alternative that includes a light-curing composite material.
Although traditional metal plates are effective in stabilizing fractures, they have at least two disadvantages.
On the one hand, it is difficult to make them into the exact shape required by each patient, so hospitals usually have to prepare plates of various shapes and sizes on hand. In addition, over time, the adjacent soft tissues of the patient may stick to it, causing loss of mobility or other problems.
Considering these limitations, scientists at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden developed the so-called AdhFix system.
To use it, the surgeon first inserts screws into each part of the bone that needs to be stabilized. The heads of the screws protrude from the bones so that they can be used as anchor points. Next, create a temporary soft and extensible patch across the entire target area, spanning and enclosing all screw heads.
The patch is composed of alternating layers of medically approved polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber mesh and putty-like polymer/hydroxyapatite composite material. Once formed into the required shape and size, it is exposed to a high-energy LED visible light source to harden it in a few seconds. Then it stays in place forever, serving the same function as the metal plate-but reportedly has no shortcomings.
In tests on human cadaveric hands with broken finger bones, the AdhFix patch withstood the force of repeated finger bending motions. When these patches were applied to fractured femurs of in vivo laboratory rats, they were shown to support bone healing without any adverse effects, such as soft tissue adhesions.
AdhFix technology is now being commercialized by the spin-off company Biomedical Bondings. The plan calls for it to be used for veterinary medicine by 2022 and for humans by 2024.
A paper on this research led by Professor Michael Malkoch was recently published in the journal "Advanced Functional Materials".
Source: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Biomedical Bondings