Get the latest tech news
A dash of gallium may make for stabler hip and knee implants
While titanium hip and knee implants do restore mobility to a great many people, they're still subject to failure. A new alloy could help change that, simply by adding a smidge of bendy, bacteria-killing gallium to the mix.
Regardless of whether the implant replaces a hip or a knee, there's a distinct boundary where the titanium device meets the patient's natural bone tissue. "The alloys in this work have shown very promising results and are part of ongoing efforts to improve components in orthopedic implants," says Dr. Reza Hashemi, who led the study along with Materials Engineering graduate Rhianna McHendrie. "Compared to existing prostheses, the addition of gallium produces a superior material with antibacterial properties to improve patient outcomes while reducing potential pain, medical complications and long-term implant failure."
Or read this on r/tech