RESEARCH ARTICLE


Feasibility of a Braided Composite for Orthopedic Bone Cast



Katherine R Evans , Jason P Carey*
4-9 MecE building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2G8


Article Metrics

CrossRef Citations:
8
Total Statistics:

Full-Text HTML Views: 553
Abstract HTML Views: 383
PDF Downloads: 170
Total Views/Downloads: 1106
Unique Statistics:

Full-Text HTML Views: 367
Abstract HTML Views: 252
PDF Downloads: 137
Total Views/Downloads: 756



Creative Commons License
© Evans and Carey; Licensee Bentham Open.

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the 4-9 MecE building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2G8; Tel: 780-492-7168; Fax: 780-492-2200; E-mail: jpcarey@ualberta.ca


Abstract

A tubular braided composite bone cast for improving the efficiency and quality of bone fracture treatment is investigated. Finite element analysis was used to evaluate stress concentrations in fracture sites supported with plate and tubular casts. The stress in a plated bone is 768 % of that in a whole bone at the same location, while it is only 47 % in a bone with a tubular cast. Three unbroken synthetic humeri were mechanically tested using an in-vitro long bone testing procedure developed in-house to find their stiffness at 20° and 60° abduction; these were found to be 116.8 ± 1.5 N/mm and 20.63 ± 0.02 N/mm, respectively. A 2 cm gap osteotomy was cut through the diaphysis in each bone. The bones were casted with a Kevlar/Cold cure composite, with calculated braid angles and thicknesses that Closely matched bone propoerties. The stiffness tests were repeated, and the results were within 10 % of the unbroken bone. This novel method of bone casting is promising if other clinical challenges can be minimized.

Keywords: Analogue humerus, bone model, braid, composite, finite element analysis (FEA), non-destructive testing, stiffness..