3/5/2010 8:09:00 PM
New Surgical Bone Screw Biodegrades; Replaces Titanium Screws
The new composite screw (center) with titanium screw (right) and older polylactic acid screw (left) � courtesy the Fraunhofer Institute
The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering & Applied Materials Research announced a biodegradable screw to replace titanium screws traditionally used in broken bone surgery.
The screws are made of polylactic acid, hydroxylapatite and medical stainless steel.
Patients previously had to undergo surgery to remove the titanium after the bone healed. The new screws biodegrade within two years.
Previous biodegradable screws were made of polylactic acid. However, those leave holes in the bone after they degrade.
IFAM researchers developed the moldable composite made of polylactic acid and hydroxylapatite.
It is a ceramic that Philipp Imgrund of the Bremen, Germany-based IFAM biomaterial technology department describes as the main constituent of bone material. ©2010 GlobalFastenerNews.com
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• IFAM
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