ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Broken bones or fractures are common in childhood, with up to 40 percent of girls and as many as 50 percent of boys suffering a fracture. Forearm fractures are the most common, responsible for up to 50 percent of all fractures in children. Now a University of Central Florida researcher comes up with a new way to fix those fractures in surgery with unique material. Bioabsorbable Implants
They play hard, and they fall harder. Fractures are a common injury in young children. Traditional surgery to repair the fracture involves implanting metal into the bone and after the bone heals, another surgery is required to remove the implants. But there may be a better way.
University of Central Florida Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Mehdi Razavi explains, “We think that there is a better way that you can heal bone damages using bioabsorbable implants, that you can implant them into the bone defect and they get degraded over the time.”
Preventing young children from needing multiple surgeries. The new implant is made of a magnesium composite and is infused with nanoparticles that help regenerate new bone, making the healing process quicker, too.
“It can be a significant improvement for patients, improving quality of life of patient, saving healthcare cost,” Professor Razavi adds.
Professor Razavi says the only risk of the new implant being made of magnesium is the biodegradation rate, which is high. it could result in producing hydrogen bubbles, which could have damaging effects around the muscle tissue.
Contributors to this news report include: Adahlia Thomas, Associate Producer; Roque Correa, Videographer & Editor.
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Sources:
https://www.ucf.edu/news/ucf-researchers-create-bioabsorbable-implants-for-better-bone-healing/
Mehdi Razavi, PhD, Assistant Professor in Department of Medicine, University of Central Florida
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: BIOABSORBABLE IMPLANTS HEAL TINY BONES QUICKER!
REPORT: MB #5248
BACKGROUND: Fractures are when bones break and they are common in children, affecting one-third of all kids before the age of 17. The most common fractures among kids are broken collarbones or shoulders, broken arms, broken elbows, broken wrists, broken hips, and broken legs or ankles. Children usually experience fractures while playing sports, falling from heights, riding their bikes, or in car accidents. Kids are also more susceptible to fractures because their bones are still developing, but poor nutrition, a diet low in calcium, and obesity can all increase a child’s fracture risk. Depending on the type of fracture, treatments vary from casts to surgery.
(Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2856220/
https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/fractures
https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/f/fractures)
DIAGNOSING: The common and most visible symptoms of fractures include: pain or swelling, obvious deformity, difficulty moving the injured body part, and/or bruising or redness in the area. Doctors can diagnose fractures with x-rays, CT or CAT scans, MRIs, or bone scans. Children’s bones do heal faster, but immediate medical attention is important for a speedy recovery.
(Source: https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/fractures
https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/fractures#diagnosis–treatments)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: A new way to repair fractures in children is being developed by a team of University of Central Florida researchers. By using a bioabsorbable implant that is made of a degradable magnesium composite, only one surgery is needed to repair the fracture. Magnesium is an ideal material for bone health and healing as it is as strong as metal, but more flexible than ceramics. Also, since it is a compound already found in the body, there are fewer chances for rejection. Researcher Medhi Razavi, says, “If you have an implantable metal that is naturally absorbed and does not have to be removed during a second surgery, that has tremendous benefits in terms of eliminating the stress of additional surgeries on patients and containing healthcare costs.” The team has successfully used the implants in rat models, which is the first step in getting the devices approved for testing in humans.
(Source: https://www.ucf.edu/news/ucf-researchers-create-bioabsorbable-implants-for-better-bone-healing/)
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Christin Senior
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