The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American). 2006;88:1957-1961.
doi:10.2106/JBJS.F.00089
© 2006 The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow CME: Take the activity for this article:
 CME 3: July, August, September 2006 (publication date October 5, 2006; expi...
Right arrow [Supplementary Material]
Right arrow Letters to the Editor: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when Letters to the Editor are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Linehan, C. M.
Right arrow Articles by Gioe, T. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Linehan, C. M.
Right arrow Articles by Gioe, T. J.
Related Collections
Right arrow Adult Hip
Right arrow Adult Knee
Right arrow Foot/Ankle
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Technorati  
What's this?

Serum and Breast Milk Levels of Methylmethacrylate Following Surgeon Exposure During Arthroplasty

Colleen M. Linehan, MD1 and Terence J. Gioe, MD2

1 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, 2450 Riverside Avenue, Suite R200, Minneapolis, MN 55454. E-mail address: malek006{at}umn.edu
2 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, 17 West Exchange Street, St. Paul, MN 55102. E-mail address: tergioe{at}aol.com

Investigation performed at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

In support of their research for or preparation of this manuscript, one or more of the authors received grants or outside funding from Stryker Howmedica. None of the authors received payments or other benefits or a commitment or agreement to provide such benefits from a commercial entity. No commercial entity paid or directed, or agreed to pay or direct, any benefits to any research fund, foundation, educational institution, or other charitable or nonprofit organization with which the authors are affiliated or associated.

Background: Although pregnant personnel are commonly encouraged to leave the operating room during the mixing and application of polymethylmethacrylate, we are not aware of any information regarding the safety of exposure to methylmethacrylate fumes for breastfeeding women. The present study was performed to investigate the concentrations of methylmethacrylate in serum and breast milk following exposure during total joint arthroplasty.

Methods: A survey designed to determine present-day attitudes to polymethylmethacrylate exposure during pregnancy and lactation was sent to members of the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society and the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses. To define the presence or absence of a scientific basis for this behavior, serum and breast milk samples were collected from two lactating surgeons at selected intervals after exposure to methylmethacrylate during eight total joint arthroplasty procedures. Two healthy breastfeeding women without exposure to methylmethacrylate served as controls. All twenty-five samples were analyzed for methylmethacrylate with use of a previously published headspace gas chromatography protocol.

Results: The gas chromatography protocol detected methylmethacrylate at levels as low as 0.5 part per million. No serum or breast milk sample demonstrated evidence of methylmethacrylate at that level, nor did any surgeon sample test at a higher level than the control specimens. Serum and milk samples spiked with methylmethacrylate yielded the analyte peak as expected, evidencing no interference from either matrix.

Conclusions: Methylmethacrylate was not detectable at the 0.5-part-per-million level in serum or breast milk following inhalational exposure during total joint arthroplasty. Although a controlled longitudinal relative risk analysis was not performed and the sample size was relatively small, pregnant or breastfeeding women may use this information to make an informed decision regarding such exposure.

Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level II. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?