Effects of neutral sodium hydrogen phosphate on the setting property and hemostatic ability of hydroxyapatite putty as a local hemostatic agent for bone.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) putty has been reported to have good hemostatic ability and excellent biocompatibility. Although the setting reaction of HAP putty and resulting transformation to HAP is the reason for this excellent biocompatibility, it also limits the handling period. In this study, the relationship between the setting reaction of HAP putty and its hemostatic ability was investigated, where neutral sodium hydrogen phosphate concentration and post-preparation time were used as indexes. A higher concentration of neutral sodium hydrogen phosphate was found to result in decreased hemostatic ability. The hemostatic ability of HAP putty decreased with time after its preparation; thus it was important to use HAP putty within 10 min after its preparation. The adhesive strength of HAP putty to bone increased with time. Therefore reliable hemostasis can be expected with HAP putty. Although the limited handling time is a drawback, HAP putty is thought to have a good potential as a hemostatic agent-it is highly reliable, and has a high hemostatic ability with excellent biocompatibility.