German engineers develop a non-metal hip implant for long-term use | MassDevice.com On Call

May 10, 2012 By MassDevice staff Leave a Comment

MASSDEVICE ON CALL — A German team developed a new hip replacement implant that may be the answer to the high-profile hip device debates following the recall of DePuy’s metal-on-metal implants.

The researchers announced new hip implants that "unlike the conventional counterpart implants on the market today, provide a metal-free solution and bone-like elasticity."

The devices are free from the concerns that brought down DePuy’s ASR hip implants – namely, that the metal components rubbed against one another, eroding and releasing tiny metal fragments into a patient’s bloodstream.

The new implants, developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart, are made from carbon fiber reinforced PEEK (a high-strength, wear-resistant, biocompatible polymer composite) and ceramic, according to a press release.

"The cobalt-chromium implants in use to date are very rigid, and the load transfer to the bone is non-optimal leading to potential adverse bone adaptation," Fraunhofer IPA engineer Jasmin Hipp said in prepared remarks. "Thanks to the new combination of materials, the transmission of force through the PEEK hip socket to the pelvic bone is modeled on natural conditions. And there are no metal ions released."

The device prototypes fared well in initial testing, done with robots that simulate a variety of movements such as walking and climbing stairs.

Some patients in end-of-life situations opt to shut off their implanted cardiac defibrillators in hopes of avoiding the shock that 8% of patients experience in the last minutes of life. Read more

An Institute of Medicine infographic details the severity and costs of obesity in America. Read more

The American College of Cardiology issues new guidelines on when to use cardiac catheterization to look for heart problems. Read more

The costs of screening children for sudden cardiac death may not be worth the potential benefits when compared with other life-saving measures, according to Tufts researchers. Read more

A bipartisan team of House Representatives introduces a bill to issue a permanent "doc fix" that would avoid the yearly clamor to sustain reimbursement rates Medicare pays to health providers. Read more

Researchers at the University of Cambridge use "virtual reality" to measure brain activity with unprecedented clarity. Read more

The American Medical Assn. joined in urging Medicare to speed Stage 2 meaningful use requirements for electronic health records. Read more

Solition touts scar treatment study results
Soliton (NSDQ:SOLY) today announced positive results from treatment of fibrotic scars using its rapid acoustic pulse (RAP) device. The proof-of-concept study, conducted 12 weeks after a single treatment with the device, showed that 10 patients’ keloid and hypertrophic scars were with smaller. Soliton licensed the technology from the University of Texas on behalf of the… […]
January 2020 Issue: The Leadership in Medical Technology Issue
The next Roaring ’20s The medtech industry received one of the best holiday gifts it could have hoped for just before Congress adjourned for its year-end break: the repeal of the 2.3% medical device excise tax. The tax was part of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and was one of a number of funding… […]
Integer adds IPG manufacturing and testing tech to Mexico plant
Integer Holdings (NYSE:ITGR) announced it has added implantable pulse generator (IPG) cleanroom assembly and testing capabilities at its Tijuana-North facility The plant is the first Class III active-implantable medtech manufacturing site in Mexico to receive FDA approval, according to the Plano, Texas-based company. Integer has added Class 7 and 8 cleanrooms, and manufacturing and capital… […]
FDA issues draft guidance on multi-use arthroscopy tubing sets
The FDA has issued draft guidance on arthroscopy pump tubing sets intended for multiple-patient use. Clinicians often use a single source of irrigation fluid for multiple patients without replacing the source of irrigation fluid or replacing/reprocessing the irrigation tubing system between patients. These devices are designed to deliver irrigation to the surgical site, these devices… […]
How LED light can break down ingestible medical devices
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an approach to break down ingestible medical devices in the gastrointestinal tract. Medical devices can be inserted in the gastrointestinal tract to treat, diagnose or monitor a number of GI disorders. However, the devices have to removed through endoscopic surgery once completed. The MIT researchers developed… […]
New 510(k) boosts iRhythm, Verily efforts for AFib screening
The latest 510(k) clearance for the Verily Study Watch will further the efforts of the Google sister company and iRhythm Technologies (NSDQ:IRTC) to improve atrial fibrillation treatment. Verily — a life science company under Alphabet (NSDQ:GOOGL) — recently received an FDA 510(k) clearance to include an irregular pulse monitor in its Study Watch wearable. “We’ve worked carefully to meet the FDA’s stringent… […]
Argon Medical debuts IVC filter retrieval kits
Argon Medical Devices (Frisco, Texas) said this week that it has launched single-loop and triple-loop retrieval kits for percutaneous removal of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters that are no longer medically required. The kits are indicated for use via a jugular approach and offer the following features: A coil-reinforced outer sheath with the strength needed… […]
NANS 2020: Neuromodulation news you need to know
Neuromodulation devices from companies including Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), Abbott (NYSE:ABT) and SPR Therapeutics are showing promise treating pain. That’s one of the initial takeaways from study results that medical device companies in the neuromodulation space are touting this weekend at NANS 2020 in Las Vegas. NANS is a joint conference of Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the North American Neuromodulation… […]
Injection Molding Principles
Optimizing custom part designs for injection molding requires a thorough understanding of the process and outcomes. In this e-book, you’ll learn about common molding resins, special molding terms you should know, and most importantly, how to optimize your part with undercuts, even walls, drafts, and more. Download this e-book from Xometry to learn more… The […]
GW Plastics expands Vermont manufacturing and tech center
GW Plastics announced that it has completed a $10 million expansion of its Royalton, Vt., manufacturing and technology center. The company said it has added a 30,000 ft2 to the building to accommodate the growth of its thermoplastic injection molding and medical device contract assembly business. The expansion includes a new 13,000 ft2, Class 8… […]
Certain GE Healthcare patient-monitoring devices vulnerable to cyberattack
The federal government and GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE) announced today that the certain of the company’s patient monitoring devices are vulnerable to cyberattack. If attacked, some versions of the Carescape and ApexPro telemetry servers, the Carescape Central Station version 1 and Central Information Center systems could stop monitoring patients, silence alarms or produce unnecessary alarms during… […]