INFLUENCE OF MATERIALS FOR FIXATION IMPLANTS ON LOCAL INFECTION - AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY OF STEEL VERSUS TITANIUM DCP IN RABBITS

Resistance to infection may be influenced by foreign bodies such as de vices for fracture fixation. It is known that stainless steel and comm ercially-pure titanium have different biocompatibilities, We have inve stigated susceptibility to infection after a local bacterial challenge using standard 2.0 dynamic compression plates of either stainless ste el or titanium in rabbit tibiae. After the wounds had been closed, var ious concentrations of a strain of Staphylococcus aureus were inoculat ed percutaneously. Under otherwise identical experimental conditions t he rate of infection for steel plates (75%) was significantly higher t han that for titanium plates (35%) (p < 0.05).