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• Biocompatible Polymers

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A Proven Alternative — from Trauma to Joint Replacement

Invibio® biocompatible polymers are a proven solution in the field of orthopaedics.

The inherent properties of our biomaterials provide numerous benefits for orthopaedic applications:

• Low creep properties ensure implant stability
• High compressive strength to hold up to load requirements
• Good fatigue strength enables a high range of motion cycles without failure
• Endures repeated sterilization without degradation of mechanical properties or biocompatibility
• Processing flexibility, including machining, injection molding, extrusion, and compression molding

Additionally, the versatility of the Invibio product line provides biomaterials with the flexible range of properties and characteristics to meet the needs for applications with diverse requirements such as:

• Enhanced wear resistance for articulating devices
• The strength of metals for trauma applications
• Tailored imaging characteristics for implant visualization
• Modulus close to bone for reduced stress shielding and to stimulate bone healing

Regardless of the exact orthopaedic application — from trauma to joint replacement — PEEK biomaterials from Invibio present an attractive option:

Benefits for Wide Range of Orthopaedic Applications

Knee Arthroplasty

Testing of MOTIS® polymer against a hard counterface provides positive indications for its ability to meet the exacting demands for knee arthroplasty. Testing of an existing unicondylar mobile bearing knee device, from a major orthopedics development firm, incorporated MOTIS polymer in place of a standard UHMWPE bearing insert. A five million cycle in vitro wear simulator test, utilizing similar loading and motion that occurs during walking, was performed on the unicondylar knee utilizing MOTIS against a cobalt chrome counterface.

Results revealed a lower level of wear for the implant containing MOTIS polymer compared with that noted for the UHMWPE component. The medial and lateral components of this particular design have slightly different bearing surfaces as they take differing loads within the body; the wear rates are therefore treated separately. These and other promising developments demonstrate that MOTIS polymer is well suited to the design demands of articulating joint devices and opens the door to its use in new designs and approaches to partial and total knee arthroplasty.

Finger Joint Prostheses

After rigorous testing demonstrated the multiple advantages, a large European-based orthopaedics company switched away from manufacturing finger-joint prostheses with polyoxymethylene copolymer (POM C), in favor of PEEK-OPTIMA®. The change to PEEK-OPTIMA biocompatible polymer has yielded significant benefits. When tested against POM C, PEEK-OPTIMA polymer showed superior mechanical properties: its tensile strength and elastic modulus values were significantly higher (by 30 - 40%), and it demonstrates improved wear behavior during articulation with natural cartilage.

Where the implants made with PEEK-OPTIMA polymer come in direct contact with bone, the polymer is coated with a layer of pure titanium using the Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) method. By enhancing the on-growth of bone on the implant surface, this biological coating improves implant fixation.

Locking Device for Osteosynthesis Plate

PEEK-OPTIMA polymer is used by a leading European orthopaedics company to provide enhanced safety with their osteosynthesis plates. The biomaterial is used in the locking system for their new hand, knee and ankle internal fixation devices due to its fatigue resistance, strength and biocompatibility. Unlike polyethylene or nylon, PEEK-OPTIMA-based devices can be repeatedly sterilized by conventional methods without negatively impacting performance. Additionally, the material provides good buffer function to distribute loads, a critical function, especially in cases of poor bone quality. The PEEK-OPTIMA polymer locking systems help avoid screw backout; prevent screw migration and disengagement; provide angular stable fixation and avoid cold-welding.

Trauma Osteosynthesis Plate

The unique combination of mechanical strength and imaging compatibility was one of the key reasons ENDOLIGN® was selected by an innovative device designer for their pioneering, non-metallic trauma fixation plate. Manufactured using proprietary Composite Flow Molding (CFM), the mechanical properties of the implant are comparable to conventional metallic products, and it exhibits high deformation and fatigue resistance, which are critical in order to withstand the high cyclic loads and stresses experienced by this type of osteosynthesis implant.

In addition to performance, ENDOLIGN composite enabled a revolutionary approach to fracture fixation. The plate’s angular stable screw/plate system allows for a biological internal fixation and lends itself well to minimally invasive insertion. Furthermore, if required, removal of the ENDOLIGN-based implant is more convenient than with comparable titanium implants.

Hip Stem

Reinforced PEEK-OPTIMA compound in combination with a metal insert has been used to create a uniquely tailored prosthetic hip that closely matches the elastic modulus of normal bone. The result is improved stress distribution, compared to metal prostheses, between the femur and prosthesis that closely matches "normal" stress patterns. Optimal load sharing between the implant and the femur maintains high levels of bone quality and promotes healing. The unique design also partially coats the reinforced PEEK-OPTIMA compound with hydroxyapatite to promote bone regeneration and adhesion.

For more information on how Invibio biomaterials can benefit your orthopaedic applications, contact us now.