According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than a million Americans have joint replacement surgery every year. One of the problems is the expensive surgical and material costs with lots of physical therapy and sometimes refitting surgery. According to the Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons by 2030, total knee replacement surgeries are projected to grow 673% to 3.5 million procedures per year. What if a better joint material could be developed that is more durable, custom made, and costs less?
Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in collaboration with National Science Foundation has been working on shoulder and knee replacements for humans. A new 3D printed bone replacement using elastic ceramics is a new technological breakthrough for people needing exact fitting replacements. Traditional titanium knee and shoulder joints don’t always fit well and are very expensive. This will help orthopedic surgeons have the right bone replacement for their patients needing replacement joints.
The elastic ceramic material is a 3-D printable ink that consists of hydroxyapatite and a biodegradable, biocompatible polymer binder. Hydroxyapatite, a natural component of bone and teeth, has long been explored as a bone replacement material.
This amazing new technology using the new hyperelastic ceramic material will actually become bone after the implant has been inserted into the patient. The 3D printed bone can be customized to fit the patient after taking a scan of their previous bone parts and costs less than titanium and is expected to require less physical therapy.
The Northwestern team has tested the hyperelastic ceramic bone in animals, which all showed promising results. However, there is a lot more work to be done before the materials can be used in humans. This is another great use of technology helping the human race. Bob Larson is a technologist and Marketing Director for 50 Plus.