Delivery of Bupivacaine and Tolfenamic Acid from Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene: Multimodal Pain Relief and Synergistic Antibacterial Properties from Total Joint Implants

摘要

Typical post-arthroplasty bolus injections of local anesthetics and NSAIDs range from 30-400 mg and 30 mg, respectively. This study shows that analgesic-loaded UHMWPE can deliver clinically-relevant doses of both bupivacaine and tolfenamic acid. We show for the first time that bupivacaine and tolfenamic acid possess synergistic effects against bacteria when released from UHMWPE. These biomaterials may prove to be valuable tools for simultaneously managing post-operative pain and addressing periprosthetic joint infection after total joint arthroplasty.