Project investigates patient-specific 3D printed silver implants

Despite advances in invasive surgery and aseptic techniques, the team from the from the Universities of Wolverhampton and Sussex said implant-related infection remains a common complication.

Anti-bacterial silver lining for implants and 3D printed prosthetics

The team reported that 3D printed silver implants and tissue engineering scaffolds provide antibacterial protection and feature complex porous architecture suitable for patient-specific tissue reconstruction.

Dr Arun Arjunan, Reader in Additive Manufacturing of Functional Materials at Wolverhampton University, said: “Millions of people across the world suffer from inflammatory and degenerative diseases associated with bone and joints requiring implants where infection is a serious complication resulting in pain, mortality, prolonged recovery, and antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, reducing the risk of infection associated with tissue implants requires imminent attention, where pure silver offers enormous potential.

“Although the idea of using silver as an antibacterial agent is not necessarily new, this research is the first step towards developing 3D printed silver-based infection resistant porous implants.