Temporary hip spacer with gentamicin. Interspace Tapered Wedge Stem is composed of fully formed gentamicin/polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) radiopaque bone cement coated onto a stainless steel reinforcing structure. The device has a rectangular profile stem. Interspace Tapered Wedge Stem is sterile and single-use. InterSpace Tapered Wedge Stem is indicated for temporary use (maximum of 180 days) as a total hip replacement (THR) in skeletally mature patients undergoing a two-stage procedure due to a septic process. The device is inserted into the femoral medullary canal and acetabular cavity following removal of the existing implant and radical debridement. The device is intended for use in conjunction with systemic antimicrobial antibiotic therapy (standard treatment approach to an infection). InterSpace Tapered Wedge Stem is not intended for use for more than 180 days, at which time it must be explanted and a permanent device implanted or another appropriate treatment performed (e.g., resection arthroplasty, fusion, etc.).
A prefabricated device made of orthopaedic bone cement [e.g., polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)], with an appropriate antibiotic, that is temporarily placed into a joint space to function as a carrier for the local delivery of antibiotic drugs and to prevent bone-on-bone contact and contraction of soft-tissue during surgical treatment of an infected joint. The shape and size of the device is modified to fit the joint space. This non-weight-bearing spacer remains in place until the infection clears; it is then removed and replaced with a conventional joint prosthesis. This is a single-use device.