Medical care takes many different forms today, and sometimes, it is a patient’s bones that need care. Sometimes, people today suffer from lower back pain, which is often caused by a stressed or collapsed spine that is out of shape or pinching nerves. Chiropractic and physical therapy such as expert yoga can help a patient recover from spinal issues like this, but in other cases, bone issues are more serious and will require such as bone grafting. A graft delivery system can be used by doctors in a hospital, and a bone graft delivery system will make this delicate procedure safer and more effective. Any well-stocked hospital will have a graft delivery system in place, and bone graft surgery with the help of a graft delivery system can deliver safe and effective results for a patient. How might a graft delivery system help facilitate surgery methods? And what are the basics of the surgery and the patients who need it?
Patients and Medicine
One should first consider the sheer size of the American medical device industry, which employs over 356,000 people across some 5,800 companies or so. This is the world’s single largest medical equipment market, being worth around $140 billion in market value. In fact, this is an impressive 40% of the world’s medical device market, and the United States exports some $44 billion in medical devices each and every year, according to data from the Department of Commerce. Bone grafting equipment is often involved in this. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that today, around 38,600 surgeons are at work in the United States today, and bone grafts are often part of their work. Four common reasons exist for a patient needing such surgery: multiple fractures that do not heal properly, the fusion of two bones healing across a damaged joint, bone regeneration due to disease or injury, or for healing bones following the implantation of medical devices (such as joint replacements or others). If a patient comes into the hospital needing a bone transplant, what are they in for in the operating room?
Bone Grafting
According to Health Line, a bone graft is, put simply, a surgical procedure for fixing problems with bones or joints, and bone grafting (or bone transplants) is often done for fixing bone joints that were damaged previously from injury or problem joints. What is more, a bone graft may be done to insert bone tissue that is otherwise missing, and this can help restore mobility for a patient. The bone used for a graft can be from a patient’s skeleton, or even from the bones of a donor or synthetic materials, and if accepted, the grafted bone can be a place for more bone tissue to grow naturally.
There may be some risks involved with a bone graft, and before surgery, a patient can consult his or her doctor about the involved risks and the chances of each one happening. Risks may include nerve injury, pain or swelling at the graft site, rejection of the bone graft, or even reabsorption of the graft. And before bone graft surgery may begin, the patient will provide the doctor will all medical information such as current use of medications or drug or alcohol use, and supplements for calcium or other minerals should be mentioned, too. The doctor will give the patient other directions on what to do right before the surgery, such as minimizing eating.
During surgery, the patient is put to deep sleep, and an incision is made over the targeted area and the bone graft will be shaped to fit the needs of the operation. Pins, plates, screws, or even cables may be used to help keep the bone graft steady in place, and once the surgical procedure is done, the incision is closed and bandages and stitches will help keep it closed. To support the bone, a cast or splint may also be used if needed. And after the surgery is complete an the patient is recovering, the patient is strongly advised to keep the affected limb elevated and also put ice packs on it. This helps maintain circulation and prevents swelling, or else pain and inflammation may occur. Quitting smoking also helps, as tobacco slows bone growth.