Palacos R + Gentamicin Bone Cement (High Viscosity — 2 x 40g, Heraeus Medical)
Joint replacement surgery has a logistics problem that bone cement solves with elegant chemistry. The surgeon needs a material that starts as a pourable or doughable paste, can be pressurised into the cancellous bone of the femur or tibia, and then hardens permanently in 10-15 minutes — holding the metal implant immovably in place for the remaining decades of the patient's life. PMMA bone cement has been doing this reliably since the 1960s. Palacos R has been the gold standard formulation for more than 50 years.
Palacos R + Gentamicin (Palacos R+G) is the antibiotic-loaded version of the standard Palacos R cement, containing 1 gram of gentamicin sulphate per 40g powder unit. The clinical rationale is straightforward: periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is the most feared complication of total hip and knee arthroplasty — it requires revision surgery, extended antibiotic courses, and carries significant morbidity. Gentamicin in the cement elutes locally into the surrounding tissue for weeks to months post-implantation, creating sustained antibiotic concentrations at the implant surface far exceeding what any systemic intravenous antibiotic dose can achieve at the joint. The local delivery route reduces systemic antibiotic load while maximising prophylactic concentration where it matters most: at the cement-bone and cement-implant interfaces.
The characteristic green colour of Palacos R+G — from chlorophyllin, a non-toxic colorant — provides immediate visual contrast between the cement and the surrounding bone and tissue during surgery, enabling the surgeon to see precisely where the cement has flowed and where excess must be removed. On post-operative radiographs, the barium sulphate radiopacifier makes the cemented interfaces visible for long-term follow-up assessment.
High viscosity means the cement achieves dough phase quickly after mixing (typically within 1-2 minutes at room temperature), providing a stable, handleable material for finger packing and pressurisation without the cement running or flowing excessively. This is the property that makes Palacos R specifically appropriate for conventional open arthroplasty cementing technique.
Sara Wellness exports orthopaedic implant consumables including Heraeus Medical bone cement products to international wholesale buyers and hospital procurement departments.
