Affiliations: [a] Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman | [b] School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan | [c] Department of Mechanical Engineeringm, CECOS University of IT and Emerging Sciences, Pakistan | [d] Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Khurshid Alam, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Al-Khoud 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Tel.: +968 24143751; Fax: +968 24141316; E-mail:kalam@squ.edu.om
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Bone drilling is a common practice of surgical
treatments in orthopaedics and traumatology. Penetration of a high-speed
drill into bone tissue is accompanied by generation of a significant amount
of heat. Cooling of the drilling region is necessary to avoid potential risk
of thermal damage to bone.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to measure and predict
bone temperature by conducting experiments and numerical simulations using
cooling by means of irrigation at two different temperatures.
METHODS: A series of experiments and numerical studies were
performed to investigate the effect of cooling conditions on the rise in
bone temperature in drilling. The temperature increase in bone was assessed
for different drilling speeds and feed rates in the presence irrigation at
5°C and 25°C.
RESULTS: Bone temperature was found to be strongly affected by the
drilling parameters and cooling conditions. Irrigation with water at
5°C kept bone temperature well below the thermal threshold level.
CONCLUSION: This study strongly recommends the use of irrigation
at lower temperature for safe surgical incision.
Keywords: Orthopaedic, bone drilling, experimental analysis, FE modelling, thermal necrosis
