Biomet Cement and Cementing Systems

Vacuum Mixing & Delivery

Vacuum mixing, which was adapted from the dental field, was developed for bone cement in the early 1980s. Vacuum mixing has several important purposes:

to enhance cement properties
to reduce bone cement porosity and
to improve the working environment in the operating room.

Numerous studies have shown that, compared to hand mixing, vacuum mixing prevents air entrapment in cement, reduces cement porosity, decreases the number of unbounded particles in cement and increases cement’s mechanical strength. Vacuum mixing furthermore reduces monomer evaporation and exposure in the operating room.

Mixing as well as collecting cement under vacuum yields a homogenous mix without affecting viscosity or any cement additives such as antibiotics or radio-contrast media.

Delivering cement with a syringe, under pressurization, produces better penetration into the bone bed than delivering cement with the hands.