Antibiotic Eluting Orthopedic Implants

Abstract

Infection of orthopedic devices in the post-operative era is a crucial complication that brings significant health problems and financial implications. Prevention strategy could be based on the local release of antibiotics from the orthopedic device itself to avoid bacterial adhesion and advancement. Drug eluting implants aid in wound healing in addition to providing support. They are also called as active implants. This is accomplished by the controlled release of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) into the surrounding tissue. A synthetic biomaterial to be utilized effectively in the body, it ought to have certain properties; biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, capacity to be fabricated into useful shapes effectively, no immunogenic probability and controlled bioresorbability. The development of calcium phosphate particularly with tricalcium phosphate has drawn extensive consideration. At present these ceramic materials are currently recognized as biomaterials that essentially stimulate the mineralogical structure of bone. Clinical achievement of bioceramics has prompted an advance in the quality of life for millions of people. This review gives an outline of continuous endeavors in biomaterial research for orthopedic applications, with emphasis on tricalcium phosphate (TCP) as emerging biomaterial that is used in the construction of drug eluting orthopedic implants.