How Bioresorbable Interference Screws Entered My Life

When you’re the editor of a medical device manufacturing publication, you don’t really want to sample the products that are typically covered in the pages of your magazine. No offense, but I prefer to engage with catheters, say, on an intellectual level rather than in situ. Of course, stuff–for want of a more-descriptive word–happens. That is how I came to take an especially keen interest in an article on bioresorbable interference screws that I was proofreading: some of those screws are planted inside my left knee.

Let me back up. While skiing in January, I took a spill as I tried to slalom around a hapless snowboarder. Nothing unusual about any of that, except that I heard a distinct popping sound as my legs flailed about. Long story short, I shredded my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Flash forward to May: My orthopaedist tells me that if I ever want to ski again or play tennis–the only physical activities that I actually enjoy–I would have to undergo reconstructive surgery. Of course, he adds, I could just let nature take its course and take up golf, if I really wanted some outdoor exercise. That sealed the deal for me. I scheduled surgery for the beginning of July. The arthroscopic procedure went well, and as I write this, I am down to walking with one crutch (but still wearing a knee brace).

My orthopaedist was especially proud to tell me that he used bioresorbable screws, rather than conventional metal ones, to secure the graft. Being a frequent flyer, I immediately breathed a sigh of relief that I had been spared a life of being groped by airport security personnel. But I learned that there was much more to recommend this technology while proofing the article on bioresorbables by Mark Berry from Cambridge Consultants.

Thanks to the bioresorbable material, I am far less likely to experience problems caused by stress shielding (weakening of the healing bone resulting from excessive rigid fixation for prolonged periods of time) or micro motion ( weakening and fragmenting of surrounding bone as a result of small movements of the implant within the bone). Berry goes on to describe how bioresorbable materials provide clinicians with a level of surgical verstility that is beyond the reach of titanium or stainless steel devices. He envisions a future when bioresorbable implants, easily customized for individual patients, are routinely used in high-strength applications.

It’s a fascinating article which is well worth your time, even if your ACL is pristine. Look for “Development of Bioresorbable Composite Materials for Orthopaedic Devices” by Mark Berry in the September issue of European Medical Device Manufacturer, or view it online from 5 September at www.medtechmachining.com.

Tags: Add new tag, Implants, Materials, Orthopaedics