The New Ortho Material Innovation You Need to Know About

German researchers recently have been engaged in pioneering work involving biodegradable orthopedic materials that are materially strong enough to be suture anchors. 

Their innovation involves using powder injection molding to manufacture a suture anchor made of degradable metal-ceramic composites, according to a news release from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials in Bremen.

The researchers quickly began work with a metal component based on iron alloy, combined with beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) as the ceramic component. Their research, scheduled to be presented this month at the COMPAMED trade fair in Düsseldorf, concluded that these iron alloys would corrode slowly and ensure high mechanical strength, while the ceramic decomposes quickly, and can stimulate bone growth while aiding the ingrowth of the implant.

The result means biodegradable implants that can be completely absorbed into the body, removing the need for additional surgeries to remove the implants.

Often times when a patient injures a joint in the body such as the shoulder, the tendons can rupture, causing the injury to require surgical treatment. The surgeon will fasten the cracks in the shoulder using suture anchors, which like many orthopedic implants are typically made of titanium or non-degradable polymers. The downside is that these implants will either remain in the body indefinitely, or doctors will be forced to remove them in a second surgical procedure. Not only can an additional surgery be fraught with complications, but it becomes another procedure that requires time, money, and additional recovery time.

Of course, many avenues have been taken to explore different materials that could be utilized in biodegradable implants. Earlier this year doctors began working with surgical pins made from magnesium that can be absorbed into the body at controlled rates. While these pins are still in clinical trials, they're simply another example of how biodegradable materials continue to become an area of great interest in the surgical world.

One key difference in the research at Fraunhofer Institute was the decision to use the powder injection molding process. This process offers the ability to produce complex structures cost-effectively and in large numbers. It also allows for properties such as density and porosity to be controlled selectively, which is crucial when developing materials with high mechanical strengths.

While these new suture anchors could revolutionize the way surgical procedures are performed in the future, the underlying materials and manufacturing technology could also serve as a building block for other biodegradable implants as well.

The German researchers plan to continue exploring how these materials react within the body, in an effort to take implants to new heights, and hopefully render surgeries much less invasive. 

Kristopher Sturgis is a contributor to Qmed and MPMN.

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