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Mother had a bad reaction to some antibiotic beads that were put inside an open wound to prevent infection. The surgeon said sometimes that happens. What causes that kind of response?

Antibiotic beads are made of an antibiotic powder that is mixed with liquid cement. This mixture forms a soft dough. The surgeon can use his or her hands to form the dough into a round shape. It doesn't stick to the surgeon’s gloves but the cement sets up fast and the beads must be shaped quickly.

Sometimes the beads aren't as smooth or round as we would like. A sharp edge or uneven border can poke the wound and cause trauma. Uneven beads placed inside the wound may not deliver the needed antibiotic to every corner resulting in infection.

On rare occasions, patients may have an allergic response to the chemicals used in the compound mixture. Either one of these situations could have caused your mother's reaction to the treatment.

Fortunately, the beads can be removed quickly if a reaction occurs. And surgical teams are finding ways to improve the smoothness and shape of the beads. Smaller, more uniform beads are being developed to avoid some of these problems.

Instead of rolling them by hand, one team of surgeons has reported using a cake decorator's mold. They rolled and pressed the beads into small, uniformly round balls. Once it was removed from the mold, the bead chain was trimmed to prevent any sharp edges and avoid a serious wound reaction.

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