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Ceramtec is one of the world’s largest technical ceramics engineering groups, active in the medical, electronic, automotive and machinery sectors.

 

Joint replacement prostheses are now being used on younger patients who demand the restoration of a normal, active lifestyle. This dictates a need for new and more wear-resistant materials, so that joints can withstand higher mechanical demands and work for longer, avoiding the need for joint revision surgery.

 

The proposition was that Ceramtec’s femoral head (hip joint) prosthesis, made from a ceramic and polyethylene construction, would out-perform conventional cobalt chrome and polyethylene products. This enables the company to meet the need of higher demand patients. The medical field has very stringent performance and testing requirements for new products.

 

The Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering CIC’s (BITECIC)  long experience in the field was a key factor in Ceramtec’s decision to use them on the project. The CIC has a credible worldwide reputation and crucially, is respected for its independent and unbiased work.

 

The experience of BITECIC in the science of laboratory simulation of physiological hip joint movement was used to determine wear and creep performance of the Ceramtec prosthesis. The steady wear rate for the ceramic/polyethylene joints was found to be 40% lower than that of the cobalt chrome/polyethylene version, showing clear product superiority. The study also enabled a better overall understanding of the wear and creep rates of polyethylene acetabular cups, against ceramic and cobalt chrome femoral heads.

 

These results give Ceramtec the independent evidence they need to promote the advantages of their prosthesis to the global orthopaedic marketplace, and service the growing replacement joint market for higher demand patients.

 

Benefits of Ceramtec’s collaboration with the Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering CIC:

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