Citation

Behzadi S, Luther GA, Harris MB, Farokhzad OC, Mahmoudi M. Biomaterials 2017; 146: 168-182.

Affiliation

Center for Nanomedicine and Department of Anesthesiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States. Electronic address: mmahmoudi@bwh.harvard.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.biomaterials.2017.09.005

PMID

28918266

Abstract

Historically, high-energy extremity injuries resulting in significant soft-tissue trauma and bone loss were often deemed unsalvageable and treated with primary amputation. With improved soft-tissue coverage and nerve repair techniques, these injuries now present new challenges in limb-salvage surgery. High-energy extremity trauma is pre-disposed to delayed or unpredictable bony healing and high rates of infection, depending on the integrity of the soft-tissue envelope. Furthermore, orthopedic trauma surgeons are often faced with the challenge of stabilizing and repairing large bony defects while promoting an optimal environment to prevent infection and aid bony healing. During the last decade, nanomedicine has demonstrated substantial potential in addressing the two major issues intrinsic to orthopedic traumas (i.e., high infection risk and low bony reconstruction) through combatting bacterial infection and accelerating/increasing the effectiveness of the bone-healing process. This review presents an overview and discusses recent challenges and opportunities to address major orthopedic trauma through nanomedical approaches.

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Antibacterial properties; Bone regeneration; Nanomedicine; Stem cells