Bone Cement and Occupational Hazards for Healthcare Providers and Patients: A Narrative Review

The object of this narrative review is to identify the risk factors caused by using bone cement for patients and personnel in the operating room and to provide solutions to reduce or eliminate these factors to improve the quality of treatment for patients and the health of the medical staff.

Bone cement is one of the most frequently used items in operating rooms and has a different chemical structure. Glass Ionomer Cement, Calcium phosphate bone cement, polypropylene fumarate, and polymethyl methacrylate are types of bone cement. Bone cement is dangerous not only for the patient but also for the surgical team. The surgeon, scrub nurse, circulating nurse, and anesthesia provider are also at risk because the preparation of bone cement produces pungent vapors that everyone in the room can inhale if adequate ventilation is not provided. Complications related to the use of cement in patients can be variable. It may cause bone cement implantation syndrome in some patients or increase intramedullary pressure in others. The incidence of complications in personnel is much higher than in patients, and operating room nurses and surgeons experience various problems in the respiratory, skin, nervous, cardiovascular, and even genetic systems.

Based on the recent findings, it is crucial to use strategies to reduce the side effects of using bone cement in personnel who are exposed to this substance and its vapors. Therefore, it is very important to use the equipment used to combine bone cement and pay attention to security points and use personal care equipment in the operating room environment.