Effect of Oscillation Speed and Thrust Force on Cortical Bone Temperature During Sagittal Sawing

Abstract

Thermal necrosis of bone occurs at sustained temperatures above approximately 47°C. During joint replacement surgery, resection of bone by sawing can heat the bone above this necrotic threshold, thereby inducing cellular damage and negatively affecting surgical outcomes. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of saw blade speed and applied thrust force on the heating of bone. A sagittal sawing fixture was used to make cuts in cortical bovine bone, while thermocouples were used to characterize the temperature profile from the cut surface. A full factorial Design of Experiments was performed to determine the relative effects of blade speed and applied thrust force on temperature. When comparing the effect of speed to force in the regression analysis, the effect of force on temperature (p < 0.001) was 2.5 times more significant than speed (p = 0.005). The interaction of speed and force was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The results of this research can be used in the development of training simulators, where virtual surgeries with haptic feedback can be accompanied by the related temperatures in proximity to the cut. From a clinical perspective, the results indicate that aggressive cutting at higher blade speed and greater thrust force results in lower temperatures in the surrounding bone.

Resection of bone by sagittal saw: Investigation of effects of blade speed, feed rate, and irrigation on temperature rise

“…Although previous research has noted operational ranges for the input parameters of cutting using sagittal saw, 1,2 in the present research, preliminary tests were performed to precisely determine the operational ranges of blade oscillation rate and feed rate. The results of the preliminary tests indicated that it is not possible to use blade speed less than 10,000 cpm (due to the reduction of the blade cutting power and impossibility of achieving desired bone resection) and larger than 18,000 cpm (due to severe vibration of the saw blade and creation of instability in the system), plus feed rate larger than 30 mm.min −1 (due to time constraints for complete bone resection as well as the possibility of damage to the set of sagittal saw).…”

“…In such operations, a reciprocating saw (sagittal) is commonly used which benefits from high-frequency oscillation blades (10,000–20.000 oscillations per minute or cpm, through a relatively small angle, typically 4–5°). 1,2 Since heat generation during the resection of the material as well as the temperature rise of the tool and workpiece are among the side effects of all machining processes (Figure 1), during bone resection operations, again a major part of the energy applied to the tool is changed into heat. 3 Some of the heat generated during bone cutting may be partially dissipated by the presence of blood and tissue fluids and partially carried away by the chips formed.…”

Mechanical Properties of a Bone-like Bioceramic–Epoxy-Based Composite Material with Nanocellulose Fibers

“…Surgeons perform simulations for bone cutting or drilling, which has been the focus of many studies. In addition to mechanical properties, studies on the heat generated during bone cutting and drilling have also been performed [ 1 , 2 , 3 ].…”