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Oxidation and other property changes of a remelted highly crosslinked UHMWPE in retrieved tibial bearings
Author(s) -
Reinitz Steven D.,
Currier Barbara H.,
Levine Rayna A.C.,
Collier John P.,
Van Citters Douglas W.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part b: applied biomaterials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1552-4981
pISSN - 1552-4973
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.b.33533
Subject(s) - materials science , bearing (navigation) , in vivo , composite material , degradation (telecommunications) , ketone , polymer chemistry , chemistry , organic chemistry , telecommunications , cartography , microbiology and biotechnology , computer science , biology , geography
This study examined retrieved UHMWPE tibial bearings made from a remelted highly crosslinked (HXL) UHMWPE to determine whether the material is chemically stable in vivo . Retrieved tibial components were measured for changes in ketone oxidation and crosslink density. Oxidation increased with in vivo duration, and a significant decrease in crosslink density with increased mean ketone oxidation index was observed. These results suggest that in vivo oxidation is causing material degradation. Furthermore, a subsurface whitened damage region was found below the articular surface of one bearing, indicating the possibility of a clinically relevant decrease in mechanical properties of this component. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 39–45, 2017.