Towards polymer implants in orthopedic and trauma surgery

Polymers are already playing an important role as material for implants. And their influence will grow in the next years, thanks to their promising bio-mechanical properties and economic manufacturing processes. Resorbable biomaterials as Whisker reinforced HA/PLA composites show bone-similar anisotropic mechanical behavior. Improving their overall strength a bone substitute material could be achieved once. Other polymers, especially the PAEK-family possess cortical bone like properties as compressive strength, elastic modulus and density. This offers new options for implant engineering, as shown in the Endure FP7 project. In two years an excellent consortium developed a totally new hip implant approach, including a resurfacing ceramic head and a CF-PEEK cup as counterpart as well as a surgical instrument set and sterilizing procedure. The final implant design was formed by physiological conditions and mechanical / computational testing