Health Spotlight: Unique material being used to heal bone fractures

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Broken bones and fractures are common in childhood, with up to 40% of girls and 50% of boys suffering a fracture at some time. Forearm fractures are the most common, responsible for up to 50% of all fractures in children.

Traditional surgeries to fix these fractures implants metal into the bone, and after the bone heals, another surgery is needed to remove the implants.

Now, a researcher from the University of Central Florida has developed a new way to fix those fractures with an unique material that can be absorbed by the body.

“We think that there is a better way that you can heal bone damages using bioabsorbable implants, that you can implant them into the bone defect and they get degraded over time,” Dr. Mehdi Razavi with the Department of Medicine at the University of Central Florida said.

The new implant is made of a magnesium composite, infused with nanoparticles that help regenerate new bone, making the healing process much quicker.

“It can be a significant improvement for patients, improving quality of life for patient and saving healthcare costs,” Razavi added.

Razavi says the only risk of the new implant being made of magnesium is the biodegeneration rate, which is high. It could result in producing hydrogen bubbles, which could have damaging effects around the muscle tissue.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV. Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.