Quantitative analysis of monomer vapor release from two‐solution bone cement by using a novel FTIR technique

Abstract

Methyl methacrylate monomer can evaporate from bone cement to reach cytotoxic levels of concentrations in the implant bed of total joint prosthesis. Therefore, this study was performed by using a novel Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy method to quantify the release of monomer vapor from experimental two-solution bone cement in vitro during polymerization, to examine the effect of surface area versus cement mass, and to explore the effect of initiation chemistry. The results revealed that monomer vapor release is a surface phenomenon. In addition, initiation chemistry plays a major role in controlling the reaction time, and therefore heat concentration and dissipation, which resulted in a higher absorbance peak as initiation chemicals concentration increased. It was concluded that using the FTIR to monitor MMA vapors is an effective technique to obtain quantitative information about monomer vapor release from bone cements during polymerization and provides insight on the polymerization kinetics of two-solution acrylic bone cement.

Alternative acrylic bone cement formulations for cemented arthroplasties: Present status, key issues, and future prospects

“…There are a large number of properties that have been determined for only a very few of the alternative cements, with examples being radiopacity,176 residual monomer percentage,50, 52, 58, 85, 89, 131 polymerization rate,48, 66 diffusion coefficient in a biosimulating solution, such as phosphate buffered saline (PBS), at 37°C,66, 72 and the potential for the alternative radiopacifying particles, such as iodine‐containing ones, to induce osteoblast formation in vitro and to effect bone formation in, say, an animal model joint 1. Furthermore, (1) there are no reports on fatigue life and/or rate of fatigue crack propagation (FCP) for several of the categories of alternative cements, such as the modified‐monomer, improved‐adhesion, and solid‐phase types; (2) as a consequence of (1), there is little information about the microstructural pathways of fracture initiation and propagation56, 65, 66 in the majority of these cements; (3) there are no reports on the degree of conversion of the liquid monomer during curing; (4) other than one report on the effect of shelf life of a two‐solution cement on its t set ,204 there is lack of information on the extent to which key cement properties, such as fatigue life and FCP rate, are affected by the cement's shelf life; (5) there are very limited data on the shelf life of the cements204; (6) there are very few results for four interrelated viscoelastic characteristics of a cement that are relevant to its clinical performance (namely, creep, stress relaxation, damping, and dependence of mechanical properties on loading rate)85, 89, 90; and (7) there is a dearth of information on properties that are germane to the preparation of the cement in an operating room, such as the amount of free liquid monomer vapor released into the surroundings 205. In addition to the aforementioned omissions and limited information, the influence of blending an antibiotic with the cement powder (prior to mixing the blend with the liquid monomer) on cement properties, notably the elution rate of the antibiotic from the cured cement under dynamic loading conditions and the fatigue life, has not been studied.…”

“…1 Furthermore, (1) there are no reports on fatigue life and/or rate of fatigue crack propagation (FCP) for several of the categories of alternative cements, such as the modified-monomer, improved-adhesion, and solid-phase types; (2) as a consequence of (1), there is little information about the microstructural pathways of fracture initiation and propagation 56,65,66 in the majority of these cements; (3) there are no reports on the degree of conversion of the liquid monomer during curing; (4) other than one report on the effect of shelf life of a two-solution cement on its t set , 204 there is lack of information on the extent to which key cement properties, such as fatigue life and FCP rate, are affected by the cement's shelf life; (5) there are very limited data on the shelf life of the cements 204 ; (6) there are very few results for four interrelated viscoelastic characteristics of a cement that are relevant to its clinical performance (namely, creep, stress relaxation, damping, and dependence of mechanical properties on loading rate) 85,89,90 ; and (7) there is a dearth of information on properties that are germane to the preparation of the cement in an operating room, such as the amount of free liquid monomer vapor released into the surroundings. 205 In addition to the aforementioned omissions and limited information, the influence of blending an antibiotic with the cement powder (prior to mixing the blend with the liquid monomer) on cement properties, notably the elution rate of the antibiotic from the cured cement under dynamic loading conditions and the fatigue life, has not been studied. From a clinical perspective, this omission is a serious limitation in light of the fact that antibiotic-loaded acrylic bone cement is used both prophylactically in some primary cemented TJR cases as well as routinely for all revision cases.…”

Application and modification of bone cement in vertebroplasty: A literature review

“…[ 11 ] During the exothermic process, the toxic compound methacrylate is formed, and if the polymerization reaction of PMMA bone cement is not complete, methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer will be released. [ 12 ] The release of monomers into the circulatory system can lead to the development of bone cement implantation syndrome. [ 13 ] Early in vivo release from PMMA particles and fragments also results in the release of inflammatory mediators and cellular damage.…”