New treatment being trialled at Tullamore hospital

A new bone infection treatment involving glass being trialled at Tullamore hospital has led to success in the case of all four patients involved. The news was revealed by consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Tullamore hospital Eoin Sheehan at a recent European Bone and Joint Infection Society annual meeting in Switzerland. The local hospital is one of only four international centres, and the only Irish centre, trialling the new way to treat osteomyelitis - a bone infection caused by bacteria or other germs. According to Mr Sheehan the four local success stories include one young lady who has suffered from osteomyelitis for ten years and has had seven unsuccessful procedures to eradicate the infection. "The usage of bioactive glass to treat resistant osteomyelitis at first sounds ludicrous, however having studied the science and Scandinavian research behind its success we were encouraged to begin using the glass in our osteomyelitic patients," Mr Sheehan said. The glass used in the treatmnet of the infection works by creating an alkaline environment that discourages bacterial biofilms. As the glass is also biocompatible, it integrates into the bone over time. It's thought the new treatment could have a huge effect on people whose lives are scourged with chronic bone infections. The cost savings are also enormous, as using the new technology could reduce the number of procedures patients require by as much as 80 per cent. The procedure has been used in Scandinavian countries for the past ten years. Tullamore hospital, which is the regional orthopaedic centre for the midlands, is the first Irish hospital to trial it. According to Mr Sheehan cost savings in the future could be as much €20,000 per patient if the technology is adopted.