3D-printed surgical implant kills bacteria

This is the claim from a team at Washington State University whose work is detailed in the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing

The team’s work could lead to better infection control in many common surgeries such as hip and knee replacements. Bacterial colonisation of the implants is one of the leading causes of their failure and unsatisfactory outcomes after surgery.

In a statement, Amit Bandyopadhyay, corresponding author on the paper and Boeing Distinguished Professor in WSU’s School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, said: “Infection is a problem for which we do not have a solution. In most cases, the implant has no defensive power from the infection.

“We need to find something where the device material itself offers some inherent resistance - more than just providing drug-based infection control. Here we’re saying, why not change the material itself and have inherent antibacterial response from the material?”

Titanium materials used for hip and knee replacements and other surgical implants were developed over 50 years ago and are not well suited to overcoming infections. Although surgeons often treat pre-emptively with antibiotics, life-threatening infection can occur following surgery, or weeks or months later as a secondary infection.