Ha-coated carbon fiber/pol yamide 12 composite for hip replacement with improved osseointegration

Bone loss around femoral implants used for total hip arthroplasty is a persistent clinical concern. In some cases, it may be caused by stress shielding, which is generally attributed to a mismatch in stiffness between the femoral implant and host bone. In this regard, a fatigue resistant, carbon fiber (CF) polyamide 12 (PA12) composite hip stem coated with hydroxyapatite (HA) for hip replacement has been developed to match bone stiffness and achieve fixation by osseointegration. In vitro studies with osteoblast cells (MG63) showed no cytotoxicity of the composite components as seen by the cellular growth and composites interaction. In vivo studies comparing the composite and Ti-6A1-4V (Ti64) rods in the rabbit and rat femurs demonstrated significantly higher bone apposition to the composite than Ti64 rods. The results of this study indicate that the invasion of surrounding bone cells and thus osteointegration together with its bone-matching mechanical properties make the HA-coated CF/PA12 composite stem a promising hip replacement candidate.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye