Prosthetic Hip with Vancomycin-Releasing Polymer (IMAGE)

Massachusetts General Hospital

Prosthetic Hip with Vancomycin-Releasing Polymer

Caption

In the new approach to treating prosthetic joint infection, developed by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators, the infected prosthesis and affected tissue are removed and the new prosthesis, incorporating an antibody-releasing polymer, is implanted in a single procedure. The antibiotic -- in this example vancomycin -- is released over time to eradicate any bacteria that remain and prevent future infection.

Credit

Jeremy Vincentius Suhardi, Harris Orthopædics Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital

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