What is Calcium Sulfate?
Calcium sulfate dihydrate, also known as gypsum, is a compound that can be naturally occurring or synthetically produced. When heated, gypsum converts to the partially hydrated compound calcium sulfate hemihydrate, also known as plaster of Paris. When mixed with a liquid solution, calcium sulfate hemihydrate will set to form a rigid crystal lattice.
Calcium sulfate
dihydrate
CaSO4 • 2 H20
Powder
Heat
Calcium sulfate
hemihydrate
CaSO4 • 0.5 H20
Powder
Liquid
Calcium sulfate
dihydrate
CaSO4 • 2 H20
Solid
Calcium sulfate uses include: building materials, soil treatments and food additives. When engineered for high purity, calcium sulfate has medical applications as a local antibiotic delivery device.
Benefits of Calcium Sulfate for
Local Antibiotic Delivery
Antibiotics added to medical grade calcium sulfate by a veterinarian are molded to form beads which are implanted at sites where infection is present or anticipated. The beads are gradually absorbed, delivering high levels of antibiotics at the local site, while reducing the risk of potential systemic toxicity.
Medical grade
calcium
sulfate hemihydrate
Antibiotics
Liquid solution
Antibiotic beads
Implanted at sites
of infection
Medical grade calcium sulfate has the following properties making it ideal for local antibiotic delivery:
Biocompatibility
Fully absorbed by the body
Predictable elution properties
Optimal resorption rate of 3 to 5 weeks
Ability to fill
dead space
Osteoconductivity
See ‘Supporting Research’ for safety and efficacy of calcium sulfate, as documented through human and veterinary studies.
