Bone Cement Temperature Control for Predictable Setting Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Orthopedic procedures such as Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty face challenges due to the rapid setting of bone cement, which limits the available time for preparation and delivery, and existing cooling methods are uncontrollable and inefficient in extending the working time of bone filler materials.
Innovation Solution
A temperature control system is implemented to regulate the setting time of bone filler materials by cooling the mixture during mixing and injection, using a calibrated apparatus with a thermostat and controller to ensure the mixture does not set before a desired time, allowing for a longer working time in a sterile environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If cooling components prior to mixing is used to delay polymerization, then setting time is extended, but the delay is uncontrollable and cannot be accurately predicted
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates temperature sensors that continuously monitor the mixture temperature and feed this information back to a controller. The controller adjusts the cooling mechanism accordingly to maintain the mixture at a target temperature, ensuring predictable and reliable setting time control throughout the procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the mixture's own thermal properties and the cooling mechanism's response to maintain temperature control. The controller automatically regulates cooling based on real-time temperature data, making the system self-regulating and eliminating the need for external manual intervention to predict or control setting time.
2Duration of action of moving object
If refrigerator cooling is used outside the operating theater, then polymerization is delayed, but warming occurs during transport and the advantage is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling mechanism is activated immediately upon mixing the cement components in the operating theater, before any temperature rise can occur. This preliminary cooling action ensures the mixture starts at a low temperature and maintains it throughout the procedure, preventing the warming problem that occurs with external refrigerator cooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a controlled cooling mechanism as an intermediary between the mixing process and the environment. This intermediary actively counteracts temperature rise from the exothermic reaction, maintaining the mixture at the desired temperature without relying on external refrigeration that causes transport-related warming.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If high viscosity cement is used to reduce leakage risk, then cement leakage is reduced, but the cement sets shortly after reaching high viscosity
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling mechanism is activated at the start of mixing to delay polymerization. This allows the cement to achieve high viscosity for leakage prevention while the delayed setting ensures the material remains workable for the entire procedure duration, resolving the conflict between viscosity benefits and setting time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution extends the working time of bone filler materials, providing a safer and more controlled process for orthopedic procedures by ensuring the cement remains in a usable state for a longer period, reducing the risk of premature setting and cement leakage, and allowing for more complex procedures without delays.
Implementation Method 1
A temperature control system that cools the bone cement mixture in a sterile environment, allowing for adjustable setting times by regulating the cooling mechanism based on input data
Implementation Method 2
bone cement employed in Vertebroplasty and/or Kyphoplasty comprises an acrylic mixture including a polymer component and a monomer component (e.g. polymethylmetacrylate [PMMA] and monomethylmethacrylate [MMA])
Implementation Method 3
Since polymerization reactions are typically exothermic, any advantage offered by cooling mixture components prior to mixing is typically lost once the polymerization reaction begins to generate heat
Data Source
AI summary
A method of regulating a setting time of a bone filler material, the method comprising: (a) combining at least two filler material components to form a biocompatible mixture; (b) choosing a setting time for the mixture; and (c) regulating a temperature of the mixture to influence reaction kinetics so that the mixture does not set before the chosen setting time.