Smart implants: Improving outcomes with patient-specific data

Since the early 1900s, surgeons have been using metal implants in healthcare, typically to treat bone diseases including osteoarthritis and inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis, as well as in reconstruction therapy.

Though a long-established technology, traditional implants often cause challenges for patients and surgeons. One area being worked on is smart implants, which improve patient outcomes and bring the technology into the modern age.

Implants can be smart in two ways, either by being additively manufactured to produce patient specific implants (PSIs) from computed tomography data, or by incorporating sensors. Still in the early phases of development, inbuilt sensors could collect patient-specific data, enabling surgeons and other healthcare professionals to tailor treatment to the needs of individual patients.

One of the key challenges that traditional implants present is loosening. Particularly common following joint replacement procedures, loosening can be a result of poor osseointegration – the structural and functional connection of the implant with the patient’s bone.