Use of 3D printing for the manufacture of antibiotic carriers in the treatment of bone and joint infections.

BACKGROUND

Local antibiotic delivery is crucial in prosthetic infections due to the limited bone penetration of systemic treatments. With the rise of bacterial resistance, alternatives are being explored to utilize these antibiotics without compromising their properties. The aim of this study is to investigate the application of stereolithography in manufacturing customized objects that incorporate thermolabile antibiotics and analyze their biomechanical behavior.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

A stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer with biocompatible resin Optoprint® Lumina was used to create different models, incorporating various amounts of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. Mechanical studies were conducted to evaluate the performance of the 3D-printed models before and after antibiotic release.

RESULTS

Resin pieces without antibiotics demonstrated higher resistance, while adding the antibiotic reduced resistance by 18%, and after the elution of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, the reduction reached 56% of their total strength. Comparatively, antibiotic-loaded cement pieces retained more than twice the resistance post-elution. The progressive loss of biomechanical strength correlated with the antibiotic release from the resin pieces.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study suggest that it is feasible to design pieces with variable structural characteristics using SLA (stereolithography) printing with biocompatible resin, combined with the incorporation of drugs, including thermolabile antibiotics.