Effect of two variables on the fatigue performance of acrylic bone cement: mixing method and viscosity

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Lewis, Gladius

Affiliations: Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Memphis, Campus Box 526576, Memphis, TN 38152‐6576, USA

Abstract: The goal of the present work was to establish the relative influence of one exogenous variable versus one endogenous variable on the fully‐reversed tension‐compression fatigue performance of bone cement. The method used to mix the cement constituents was the exogenous variable, while the viscosity of the mixed cement dough was the endogenous variable. Two commercial cement formulations (Palacos® R and Osteopal®) and two cement mixing methods (hand mixing and vacuum mixing) were used. It was found that for a given mixing method, cement viscosity exerts a marginal influence on fatigue performance. On the other hand, for a given cement formulation, vacuum mixing led to a statistically significant improvement in fatigue performance. The present results demonstrate the superior influence of mixing method over cement viscosity.

Keywords: Acrylic bone cement, fatigue, mixing method, cement viscosity

Journal: Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 197-207, 1999