UNAIR NEWS – Broken bone is a typical injury in an accident victim. The treatment for this injury was done through bone internal fixation with a screw and metal plate such as platina or stainless steel. But the use of those materials poses problems.
The first problem is , even though the platina has good mechanical feature, it is quite expensive. The second, the use of stainless steel for long period will cause it to corrode and endanger the body. Furthermore, the method is less effective because the screw and the plate used have to be extracted after the bone re-attached. The extraction then leaves a hole in the bone and causes another problem.
After learning the problem, five students of Biomedical engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) have made an effort and offered alternative solution in handling broken bone case through the scientific research funded by DIKTI Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education.
The research titled “Anti-bacterial Biodegradable Bone Screw Anti Based on Nano Hydroxyapatite Poly (1.8 Octadiene-Co-Citrate)” worked on by Imroatus (Biomedical Engineering 2012), Andini (Biomedical Engineering 2012), Nurul (Biomedical Engineering 2014), Bagus (Biomedical Engineering 2014), and Rhisma (Biomedical Engineering 2014) under the supervision of Dr. Prihartini Widiyanti, drg. M.Kes.
The screw is made of nano hydroxyapatite [Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2] and POC [Poly (1.8-octanediene-co-citrate)]. The second material then chosen as the biodegradable bone screw candidate material because POC has non-toxic character, bio-compatible, bio-degradable, easily synthesized, and improving mechanical. Nano hydroxyapatite functions as a filler because it is compatible with the bone tissue. Then, chitosan is for antibacterial coating with its positive polarized amino group which bonds negative bacterial membrane.
The result of this bone screw characterization showed 1482.68 MPa hardness, so it is already above the human bone which is at 150-664 MPa and pressurizing power at 8.14 MPa similar to cancellous bone pressurizing power between 2-12 MPa. Anti bacterial test showed that chitosan as coating is effective in preventing Staphylococcus aureus bacteria around the injury.
”One of the benefits of this screw is that it is biodegradable because after the bone fixated, the screw will degrade itself in the metabolism, so there is no need to extract the screw,” said Imroatus, the PKM team leader.
“Hopefully this PKMPE will be through the selection for the 29th National Science Week (PIMNAS) in IPB,” said Andini. (*)
Author : Binti Quratul Masrurah
Editor : Bambang Bes
