Introduction. Osteonecrosis may be triggered by bone temperatures above 47 °C during routine orthopaedic bone cuts using power-driven saws with potentially negative impacts on bone healing. A new oscillating-tip saw blade design (Precision®; Stryker, Kalamazoo, USA) has been recently developed with a saw blade design that may influence the amount of heat generated. We have, therefore, sought to compare the bone temperature achieved using this new blade design with a standard oscillating saw during a standardized cutting task. Method. Six human cadaveric femora were obtained. Each femur was clamped and a distal femoral cutting jig was applied. An initial cut was performed to visualize the distal metaphyseal bone. The cutting block was then moved 2 mm proximal and a further cut performed, measuring the temperature of the bone with an infrared camera. This was repeated, moving the block 2 mm proximal with each cut, alternating between a standard oscillating saw blade (12 cuts) and the Precision® saw blade (12 cuts). The bone density at the level of each slice was established from a CT scan of each specimen which had been performed prior to the experiment. Results. The two blades did not differ with respect to the integrated mean temperature calculated for each cut (p = 0.89). The average peak temperatures were not significantly different between blades (p = 0.14). There was no significant difference between blades for peak heating rate (p = 0.7), although the area of bone heated above the 47 deg osteonecrotic threshold was significantly (p = 0.04) less for the standard saw blade. Conclusions. The Precision® blade may have advantages over standard oscillating blade, but reduced heat generation was not observed in this study. Indeed, the Precision® blade generated heat that exceeded the bony osteonecrosis threshold in a greater proportion of bone than the standard blade, questioning its use for osteotomy or uncemented knee arthroplasty. Further work should examine modifications to the blade design to better optimize the requirements of speed, accuracy and heat generation.
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June 2013
Research-Article
A Comparison of the Temperature Rise Generated in Bone by the Use of a Standard Oscillating Saw Blade and the “Precision” Saw Blade
Sebastien Lustig,
Sebastien Lustig
1
Sydney Orthopaedic Research Institute,
Chatswood, NSW, 2046 Australia;
Albert Trillat Center,
Lyon 1, France
e-mail: sebastien.lustig@gmail.com
Chatswood, NSW, 2046 Australia;
Albert Trillat Center,
Lyon University Hospital
,Lyon 1, France
e-mail: sebastien.lustig@gmail.com
1Corresponding author.
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Sam Oussedik,
Sam Oussedik
Sydney Orthopaedic Research Institute
,Chatswood, NSW 2046
, Australia
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Sam Tam,
School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering,
Sam Tam
Sydney Orthopaedic Research Institute
,Chatswood, NSW
, 2046 Australia
;School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering,
University of Sydney
,NSW
2006, Australia
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Richard Appleyard,
Richard Appleyard
Australian School of Advanced Medicine,
Macquarie University
,NSW
2109, Australia
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David A. Parker
David A. Parker
Sydney Orthopaedic Research Institute
,Chatswood, NSW
2046, Australia
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Sebastien Lustig
Sydney Orthopaedic Research Institute,
Chatswood, NSW, 2046 Australia;
Albert Trillat Center,
Lyon 1, France
e-mail: sebastien.lustig@gmail.com
Chatswood, NSW, 2046 Australia;
Albert Trillat Center,
Lyon University Hospital
,Lyon 1, France
e-mail: sebastien.lustig@gmail.com
Sam Oussedik
Sydney Orthopaedic Research Institute
,Chatswood, NSW 2046
, Australia
Sam Tam
Sydney Orthopaedic Research Institute
,Chatswood, NSW
, 2046 Australia
;School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering,
University of Sydney
,NSW
2006, Australia
Richard Appleyard
Australian School of Advanced Medicine,
Macquarie University
,NSW
2109, Australia
David A. Parker
Sydney Orthopaedic Research Institute
,Chatswood, NSW
2046, Australia
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received July 9, 2012; final manuscript received January 27, 2013; published online June 24, 2013. Assoc. Editor: William K. Durfee.
J. Med. Devices. Jun 2013, 7(2): 021006 (4 pages)
Published Online: June 24, 2013
Article history
Received:
July 9, 2012
Revision Received:
January 27, 2013
Citation
Lustig, S., Scholes, C. J., Oussedik, S., Tam, S., Dabirrahmani, D., Appleyard, R., and Parker, D. A. (June 24, 2013). "A Comparison of the Temperature Rise Generated in Bone by the Use of a Standard Oscillating Saw Blade and the “Precision” Saw Blade." ASME. J. Med. Devices. June 2013; 7(2): 021006. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4024159
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