The term “bone cement” is often used to describe a procedure in which two bone fragments are bridged together with an osteoinductive agent. This process, when successfully completed, can produce highly beneficial results for patients suffering from joint damage and dislocation. However, the use of this type of treatment has been found to be relatively risky due to material defects that make it more likely than normal that the patient will experience complications or failures.
Bone cement failure is a complication of bone cement implants. The side effects, symptoms, and lawsuits are all related to the complications that can occur from this condition.
Patients who had bone cement used in joint replacement procedures have experienced major problems.
Bone cement may break down, causing joint implants to fall out of place. It may also lead to the leakage of fat, bone marrow, and cement into the circulation.
Bone cement is often utilized to attach hip and knee replacements to the patient’s bones. The material fractured, causing some patients’ prosthesis to loosen and debond.
Bone cement has also been related to bone cement implantation syndrome, or BCIS, a potentially fatal illness. BCIS patients will experience adverse effects such as hypoxia and pulmonary embolism practically immediately, within minutes of the cement making contact with the bone.
Patients and family members who have developed BCIS or other bone cement issues are now suing manufacturers for neglecting to tell them about the product’s health dangers.
What is Bone Cement and How Does It Work?
Joint replacement operations, especially those involving the hips and knees, require bone cement. To assist anchor and retain implants in place, cement is put between the prosthesis and the bone.
To assist mend microfractures and bone loss, bone cement may be injected directly into the bone. To replace missing bone, calcium-based bone cement is employed.
Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is the most popular sort of bone cement, and it’s the same chemical that’s used to manufacture plexiglass.
Bone cement comes in a variety of forms. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), which is also used to manufacture plexiglass, is the most prevalent. Bone cements made of glass polyalkenoate, magnesium phosphate, and calcium phosphate are also employed, with the latter being used mostly for craniofacial and microfracture procedures. Antibiotics are often used in bone cement to assist prevent infection after it has been applied to the bone.
Medical experts prepare bone cement during medical operations. To make a wet combination that progressively hardens, liquid and powder-like ingredients are mixed together, either by hand or using vacuum technology. The consistency of the bone cement may be affected by variables such as room temperature and mixing speed, therefore medical personnel must closely supervise the preparation.
Although high-viscosity cement (HVC) may be made in less time, it may not be as robust as other bone cement kinds.
What Are the Potential Harmful Effects of Bone Cement?
The following side effects of bone cement have been documented by patients and medical professionals:
Joint implant loosening
Implants may loosen and debond as a result of bone cement fragmentation, especially high-viscosity cement. Instability, atypical swelling at the joint site, restricted range of motion, and chronic discomfort may all result from this.
For this reason, several patients have filed claims against DePuy for their ATTUNE knee replacement.
Leakage of bone cement
When bone cement is injected directly into the bone, it may seep from the needle into the surrounding soft tissue, veins, and spinal nerves, causing nerve injury.
The bone cement used in joint replacement surgeries may exert enough pressure on the bone that bone marrow, fat, and the cement can enter the circulation and block arteries.
Implantation of bone cement syndrome (BCIS)
This uncommon but possibly fatal consequence may result in oxygen shortage, low blood pressure, pulmonary embolism, cardiac arrest, and/or loss of consciousness.
What is Bone Cement Implantation Syndrome, and how does it affect you?
Fat, bone marrow, and even cement may flow into the circulation due to pressure from bone cement.
Bone cement implantation syndrome may occur in certain people who have surgery using bone cement (BCIS). Although hip replacements are the most prevalent cause of this problem, it may occur with any treatment.
Bone cement swells and exerts pressure on the bone when it is placed between the bone and the prosthetic joint. Fat, bone marrow, and even cement may flow into the circulation as a result of this pressure. These compounds may block arteries, causing pulmonary embolism or cardiac collapse in the patient.
Oxygen insufficiency, low blood pressure, and/or sudden loss of consciousness are also common BCIS symptoms.
BCIS was discovered as a health concern connected with bone cement by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002.
Between 2005 and 2012, 62 people in England and Wales were diagnosed with BCIS. Fourty-one of these instances were fatal, with the surgery accounting for 80 percent of the fatalities.
What Is the Cause of BCIS?
BCIS’s causes are currently being investigated. However, it’s thought to be a sign of pressure being applied to the bone. When the cement between the bone and the prosthetic swells, temperatures as high as 96 degrees Celsius are reached.
Blood arteries inside the bone are considered to burst under this pressure, allowing bone marrow, fat, cement particles, and other materials to enter the circulation.
According to one research, placing a suction catheter in the femur to relieve this pressure greatly reduced the risk of blood clots and/or other embolic events in the patient. 93.4 percent of patients who received traditional bone cement hip replacement surgeries experienced an embolic event, compared to 13.4% of patients who underwent a catheter-assisted treatment.
What Are the BCIS Risk Factors?
BCIS is more likely to occur in patients with the following conditions:
- Old age
- Heart and lung function problems
- Hypertension of the lungs
- Osteoporosis
- Metastases of the bones (cancer of the bones)
- Hip fractures on many occasions
Have You Had Complications With Your Bone Cement?
You may be entitled to bring a lawsuit if you or a loved one had difficulties during or after a bone cemented joint replacement surgery or another operation containing bone cement. A bone cement lawsuit may help you get money for things like medical costs, lost pay, and pain and suffering.
Simply fill out this form to find out whether you have a free case. You won’t have to pay anything until we win a jury verdict or a settlement on your behalf if you want to launch a case.
Watch This Video-
If you have a bone cement failure, it is important to know the side effects, symptoms, and lawsuits that can come from this. Reference: bone cement setting time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can bone cement fail?
A: Bone cement is a quick fix that can make the bones stronger. There are some side effects such as bruising and swelling, but these typically take less than 24 hours to subside.
Can bone cement come loose?
A: Bone cement is very strong and will not come loose.
What is bone cement syndrome?
A: Bone cement syndrome is a condition in which the bone around a tooth becomes encased. Most commonly, this happens when there are abscessed teeth that have taken root and need to be removed from their cavities before they burst through the gum line.
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