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Healio
Issue: August 2006
August 01, 2006
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Growing array of bone graft substitutes now available in the United States

Knowing the properties of available bone graft substitutes helps orthopedic surgeons choose appropriate products.

Issue: August 2006

Musculoskeletal allografts are used every day in orthopedic surgery. Last year, more than 1.3 million musculoskeletal allografts were distributed in the United States, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Although use of these biologic materials is common, the field is rapidly changing and orthopedic surgeons need to stay up-to-date on the issues surrounding musculoskeletal allograft tissue.

Although use of these biologic materials is common, the field is rapidly changing.

Among the issues: safety, efficacy, sterilization methods, donor and allograft availability and recall status.

To increase allograft tissue awareness in the orthopedic community, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) regularly communicates information on the subject to its members via courses and at its Web site (aaos.org).

Earlier this year, the AAOS Orthopaedic Device Forum, Committee on Patient Safety and Committee on Biological Implants Tissue Work Group prepared materials on bone graft substitutes and musculoskeletal allografts for distribution at the AAOS 73rd Annual Meeting.

Among those educational materials was a chart summarizing information about current bone graft substitutes, such as their composition, mechanisms of action and FDA status. With permission from the AAOS, Orthopedics Today is publishing the chart of commercially available bone graft substitutes now available in the United States.

The staff of Orthopaedic Research Laboratories and Lutheran Hospital, a Cleveland Clinic facility, created the chart, contacted all the companies listed and compiled the information about their products.

For more information:
  • Greenwald AS, Boden SD, Goldberg VM, et al. Bone graft subsitutes: facts, fictions and applications. SE#72. Presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 73rd Annual Meeting. March 22-26, 2006. Chicago.
  • Joyce MJ, Greenwald AS, Boden SD, Heim C, et al. Safety of musculoskeletal allograft tissue. SE #73. Presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 73rd Annual Meeting. March 22-26, 2006. Chicago.