Vibration of the femur during total hip arthroplasty and the application of a dynamic vibration absorber

Abstract

The problem of femoral vibration during the reaming process in total hip arthroplasty is examined. These vibrations are modeled as the transverse vibration of a free-simple Euler-Bernoulli beam using a transfer matrix method which allows the calculation of the frequency response of the beam. This method also allows for the calculation of the response when a dynamic vibration absorber is attached. Based on these calculations, a finite element model of the vibration absorber is developed and then an experimental prototype of a damper which could be used during the surgery is made. Tests are performed with real cadaveric femurs for cases with and without the vibration absorber. Then the frequency response is calculated from these experiments and compared with the calculated values. Based on these preliminary results, it appears that by properly selecting a vibration absorber, the magnitudes of the femoral vibrations can be significantly reduced.