Explaining Osteomyelitis and Prosthetic Joint Infections (PJI) in terms of Biofilm – A Review

@#Osteomyelitis is a chronic infection of bones. Eradication of bone infection is usually with antibiotics and debridement, but it is slow and the infection can recur even after many years. It is now established that osteomyelitis is due to biofilm and a better understanding of the process is required. We review the development of biofilm and apply it to osteomyelitis management. The planktonic microbes' response to adverse conditions is the formation of biofilm. Bacterial infections in planktonic forms cause infections that can be controlled with antibiotics and immunisation, however the same microbe when its phenotype becomes biofilm is more resilient. The understanding of how planktonic bacteria convert to biofilm is one of the aims set out for this article.

Biodegradable Implants in Orthopaedics.

Bioabsorbable materials are more commonly used now days in orthopaedic surgeries. Bioabsorbable implants for fracture fixation, and meniscal repair. These implants provide the advantages of gradual load transfer to the healing tissue, reduced need for implant removal, and radiolucency, which facilitates postoperative radiographic evaluation and no hinderance in second surgery. These also carries disadvantages like, more expensive, having less strength than metals, tissue reactions including mild fluid accumulation, painful erythematous fluctuating papule, sterile sinus tract formation, osteolysis, synovitis, and hypertrophic fibrous encapsulation. We advocate more researches to be carried out for the best suitability of these materials in orthopaedic surgeries.