Innovative Cannulas Allow Fast Bone Marrow Draws

The Biologic Therapies Bio-MAC bone marrow aspiration cannula and the Bio-CORE bone marrow biopsy cannula are minimally invasive devices that are inserted into bone using any standard surgical drill. The cannulas are available in multiple lengths for use throughout the anatomy, thus adding the iliac crest, lumbar vertebral body, tibia, humerus, and calcaneus as viable sites for bone marrow aspiration. Since the process is minimally invasive, a local anesthesia is sufficient to carry out the procedure in the physicians own office.

The Bio-MAC’s cannula contains eight large, smooth, bevel-edged fenestrations, which allow for gentle bone marrow aspiration. A plunger component inserted down the cannula creates a void where bone marrow pools, resulting in higher aspiration efficiency and an easier draw. The Bio-CORE cannula’s distal tip geometry, on the other hand, eliminates concentrated pressure and heat at the aspiration site, and also allows for easy removal of the marrow sample from the cannula, without damage.

For concentrating the bone marrow extracts, the company also offers the AutoSpin, a fully automated dual spin centrifuge that can be programmed to deliver a volume of 3–10 mL from each processing cycle. Since it is a closed system, the AutoSpin also dramatically reduces the chance for contamination. The centrifuge is compatible with two separate convenience kits containing all components needed to process bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) or platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Both cannulas and centrifuge are products of Biologic Therapies (Ocala, FL, USA), and have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“The ability to aspirate a patient’s marrow, concentrate the marrow in a centrifuge to derive the maximum number of regenerative cells and growth factors, and then give the concentrated cells and growth factors back to the patient in a physician’s office makes regenerative cell therapy a much easier, more available, and less costly procedure,” said Wade McKenna, MD, chief medical director of Biologic Therapies.

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