Preliminary research into a new polyethylene which is radio-opaque

The working life of a hip replacement is particularly hard. When just walking, the hip joint needs to withstand a force of 3 times the weight of the body, with every step. If the replacement is to last 20 years, that equates to roughly 20 million steps for an average person after joint replacement. Consequently, any materials used in such implants must have extremely high fatigue strength, low wear, low corrosion, and not cause any adverse biological reactions. Thus the bulk materials used in the average joint replacement is limited to just three metals (cobalt chromium molybdenum alloy, titanium aluminium vanadium alloy, and 316L austenitic stainless steel), two ceramics (zirconia toughened alumina, and hydroxyapatite coatings), and one polymer (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene). This talk will present the current clinical challenges for joint replacements, look at some historical examples of clinical failures, and discuss how recent research and innovation in biomaterials could provide solutions.

Fractured knee remplacement bearings