Wear of biomedical implants

Abstract

Total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is one of the major successes of the twentieth century changing the lives of millions of people, both younger and older generations. However, critical problems like wear, loosening, and osteolysis still remain in the process of realizing its capabilities to the fullest extent. The change in the lifestyle of the people has further aggravated the seriousness of the problem. Thus, the present chapter is focused on the Wear of biomedical implants, which introduces the various possibilities, causes and concerns, critical issues and solutions to the above-said problems enabling a neophyte to understand the current scenario. It briefly discusses the basic tribological aspects involved in a typical synovial joint, its structure, and wear mechanism involved. The discussion then turns towards highlighting the primary causes and concerns of wear debris, various tools and techniques to estimate the wear in specific relevance to artificial joint materials. It also highlights the various implant materials and techniques for reduction of wear in the implants.