Directional Porous Coating for Prosthetic Fixation

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Solution Overview

Problem

During joint replacement surgeries, existing prostheses often require the resection of soft tissues, which need to be reattached to ensure proper anatomical configuration and stability, but they lack effective methods for long-term fixation and resistance to pull-out, especially in bone and soft tissue attachment.

Innovation Solution

The use of additive manufacturing techniques, such as laser sintering, to create prostheses with directional porous coatings that allow for both bone ingrowth and soft tissue attachment, utilizing fibro-inductive and osteo-inductive regions with barbed surfaces and lattice structures to enhance fixation and resistance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Shape

If soft tissues are resected during prosthesis implantation, then proper anatomical configuration can be achieved, but long-term fixation and resistance to pull-out are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveanatomical configurationVSAvoidlong-term fixation

Core Design Contradiction:

ShapeVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The prosthesis incorporates a porous coating on its surface that enables tissue ingrowth and attachment. The porous structure allows soft tissues and bone to grow into the coating, creating a mechanical interlock that provides long-term fixation and resistance to pull-out forces while maintaining the resected anatomical configuration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The prosthesis uses a composite structure combining a base prosthesis material with a porous coating layer. This composite approach allows the base material to provide structural integrity while the porous coating enables biological integration, simultaneously achieving proper anatomical configuration and reliable long-term fixation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Shape

If soft tissues are reattached to the prosthesis, then anatomical configuration is restored, but pull-out resistance is insufficient with conventional surfaces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveanatomical configurationVSAvoidpull-out resistance

Core Design Contradiction:

ShapeVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The porous coating provides a three-dimensional structure that mechanically interlocks with reattached soft tissues. The porous architecture increases the surface area and creates anchoring points for tissue attachment, significantly enhancing pull-out resistance compared to conventional smooth surfaces while maintaining the restored anatomical configuration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The porous coating transforms the surface from a two-dimensional plane to a three-dimensional structure with depth and volume. This dimensional change creates a volumetric attachment zone for soft tissues, providing superior mechanical interlocking and pull-out resistance while preserving the external anatomical configuration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Ease of manufacture

If conventional prosthesis surfaces are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but bone ingrowth and soft tissue attachment are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidtissue attachment

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The porous coating can be applied using established manufacturing techniques such as plasma spraying, electrostatic deposition, or additive manufacturing. These methods integrate the porous structure formation into existing manufacturing workflows, maintaining ease of manufacture while dramatically improving bone ingrowth and soft tissue attachment capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The composite structure of base prosthesis material plus porous coating allows each component to be optimized separately. The base material can be manufactured using conventional methods, while the porous coating is applied as a surface treatment, combining manufacturing simplicity with enhanced tissue attachment properties.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The described solution enables long-term fixation of prostheses in bone and stable attachment of soft tissues, reducing the risk of pull-out and ensuring a natural anatomical configuration, thereby improving the durability and functionality of the prosthetic joint.

Implementation Method 1

a laser sintering process... a laser 14 can heat the powder material to a selected temperature to sinter or fix at least a portion of the powder material

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLaser heating: Laser

Implementation Method 2

the prosthesis members can include a portion that allows for osteo-induction or boney ingrowth to assist in long-term fixation

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectOsteo-induction:

Implementation Method 3

The prosthesis member can include a surface soft tissue connection region that allows for ingrowth of the soft tissue, also referred to as fibro-inductive

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFibro-induction:

Data Source

PatentUS11672886B2Directional porous coating

Publication Date: 2023.06.13 BIOMET MFG LLC

AI summary

Porous regions are formed using selected additive manufacturing techniques. The porous regions can assist in fibro-inductive regions and/or osteo-inductive regions. A prosthetic member can be formed completely with the additive manufacturing technique and/or the additive manufacturing techniques can be used to form an augment portion that is added to the prosthetic member formed separately.