Ceremed's OSTENE(R) Improves Bone Fusion and Healing After Surgery, New S...( LOS ANGELES May 13 /- New soluble...),Health

LOS ANGELES, May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- New soluble polymer material designed to stop bone bleeding in surgery improves bone fusion and healing, according to a new animal study just published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery (ATS). The findings come on the heels of recently published research showing that the use of the new polymer may lower the risk of surgical infections.

Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina at Charleston and Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles compared the effects of a newly available polymer (Ostene(R)) and of bone wax on the bone's ability to heal following median sternotomy -- a procedure with which most open heart surgeries begin. There are approximately 640,000 such procedures performed in the United States each year, and the rate of post-operative sternal complications is estimated at 2% to 8%.

The study showed that the sternum heals faster and grows significantly stronger when treated with Ostene(R) than in the presence of bone wax, a material traditionally used to stop bone bleeding in surgically cut bone surfaces. Bone wax inhibited new bone formation and healing, creating areas of sternal non-union. By contrast, there was consistent bone fusion and normal healing in the sternums treated with Ostene(R).

The results suggest that the use of Ostene(R) in sternotomy instead of bone wax may help reduce the number of sternal complications, including sternal non-union following cardiac surgery. The use of Ostene(R)is likely to improve post-operative bone healing and patient recovery.

Bone wax, a beeswax-based product, is the most commonly used bone hemostasis material despite its well-documented side effects. Numerous studies have indicated that bone wax interferes with the body's ability to clear bacteria and increases the risk of hospital-acquired infections; as the new MUSC / USC study confirms, bone wax also inhibits bone growth and bone healing
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