Dead Space

The stench of rotting flesh is not one easily forgotten. Surgeons faced with this are tasked with removing the offending tissue. What is left behind is dead space – an empty cavity that if untreated fills with blood and causes infection. To prevent this, cavities are filled with acrylic beads while the patient heals. However these beads don’t degrade and can themselves provide a surface for bacterial growth, meaning surgery can become necessary to remove them. New research examines whether beads of calcium sulphate could be used instead. Mice were operated on to create a dead space next to their spines, into which the beads were placed. Using a technique called micro-CT the beads were tracked over time, from day one (left) onwards. By day seven the beads were degrading (middle), completely disappearing by day 21 (right), giving time for the cavity to heal without the need for further surgery.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

Lux Fatimathas

Writer

Having pursued science through a career in research, communications and publishing, she is currently a writer and editor for a healthcare marketing agency and also juggles freelance science writing.

• Image from work by Rema Oliver and colleagues
• Surgical & Orthopaedic Research Laboratories, University of New South Wales Australia, Sydney, Australia
• Image originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)
• Published in PLOS One, August 2015