Orthopaedics has recently been stunned by a sudden shortage of bone cement.123 As this is the surgical specialty with the largest waiting list,4 concerns were raised about whether the shortage would delay operations. Of the 117 000 hip replacements performed each year in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, 60% generally require cement,5 as do around 90% of the 134 000 knee replacements6 and half of the 77 000 operations for hip fractures.7 With additional revisions and other surgeries, this shortage risked affecting around 4600 patients a week.A widely reported failure in a manufacturing process resulted in halted production at Heraeus Medical, which supplies 82% of the UK’s orthopaedic cement, leaving only one week’s supply in the UK when the shortage was first identified.3As my phone started buzzing with the news, the British Orthopaedic Association app swung into action, and we knew that instructions were on the way. The first was…