A Novel Glass Polyalkenoate Cement for Fixation and Stabilisation of the Ribcage, Post Sternotomy Surgery: An ex-Vivo Study

Journal of Functional Biomaterials

Adel M.F. Alhalawani³  Declan J. Curran²  Belinda Pingguan-Murphy³  Daniel Boyd¹ 

[1] Department of Applied Oral Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax B3H 4R2, NS, Canada; E-Mail:;Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto M5B 2K3, ON, Canada; E-Mail:;Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; E-Mails:

关键词: sternal fixation;    gallium;    glass polyalkenoate cement;    sternotomy;    compressive strength;    biaxial flexural strength;    roughness;    contact angle;    bovine sterna;   

DOI  :  10.3390/jfb4040329

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

This study investigates the use of gallium (Ga) based glass polyalkenoate cements (GPCs) as a possible alternative adhesive in sternal fixation, post sternotomy surgery. The glass series consists of a Control (CaO–ZnO–SiO2), and LGa-1 and LGa-2 which contain Ga at the expense of zinc (Zn) in 0.08 mol% increments. The additions of Ga resulted in increased working time (75 s to 137 s) and setting time (113 to 254 s). Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis indicated that this was a direct result of increased unreacted poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and the reduction of crosslink formation during cement maturation. LGa samples (0.16 wt % Ga) resulted in an altered ion release profile, particularly for 30 days analysis, with maximum Ca²⁺, Zn²⁺, Si⁴⁺ and Ga³⁺ ions released into the distilled water. The additions of Ga resulted in increased roughness and decreased contact angles during cement maturation. The presence of Ga has a positive effect on the compressive strength of the samples with strengths increasing over 10 MPa at 7 days analysis compared to the 1 day results. The additions of Ga had relatively no effect on the flexural strength. Tensile testing of bovine sterna proved that the LGa samples (0.16 wt % Ga) are comparable to the Control samples.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.