MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — A newly released
patient registry reports that hip replacement implants made from
ceramicized metal heads which articulate against polyethylene lined
cups have been shown to have superior survivorship compared to
implants made from any other material five years after surgery.
OXINIUM™ Oxidized Zirconium and cross-linked polyethylene
(XLPE), the materials in VERILAST Technology from Smith &
Nephew (NYSE: SNN, LSE: SN) Orthopaedics Division, comprise the
overwhelming majority of ceramicized metal hip implants in the
global orthopaedic market. VERILAST Technology is used in both hip
and knee replacement implants.
The Australian Orthopaedic Association’s National Joint
Replacement Registry Annual Report tracks virtually all joint
replacements implanted in that country, and in the 2010 edition,
the group reports on more than 150,000 hip replacements implanted
between 1999 and 2009.
The data shows that implants using ceramicized metal technology,
such as OXINIUM Oxidized Zirconium, in combination with
polyethylene, remained successful in 97.9%(1) of patients five
years after surgery. Implants with bearings made from other
materials had to be revised (surgically corrected or replaced) over
the same period at higher rates. The survivorship rate for
ceramicized metal bearings improved to 98.5-percent in the larger
component sizes, and the performance gap between ceramicized metal
bearings and other bearing materials widened, as well.
“OXINIUM material in combination with cross-linked polyethylene
is unique among hip replacement technologies,” says Joseph M.
DeVivo, president of Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics. “We’re
thrilled by these results—we’ve worked hard to introduce
technologies that improve the wear performance of implants, and
this report confirms our decades of research and innovation. Active
patients demand implants that can keep pace with their lifestyle,
and we have the patent
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