Wood = Ideal Implant?
Posted 08-12-2009 at 03:19 AM by Ken
Tags science
Wood may just be the ideal implant material. Italian scientists have developed a new process for manufacturing biocompatible organic implants. Unfortunately, it won't be commercially available for a good number of years.
New Artificial Bone Made of Wood
"To create the bone substitute, the scientists start with a block of wood and heat it until all that remains is pure carbon, which is basically charcoal. The scientists then spray calcium over the carbon, creating calcium carbide. Additional chemical and physical steps convert the calcium carbide into carbonated hydroxyapatite."
via Gizmodo
New Artificial Bone Made of Wood
"To create the bone substitute, the scientists start with a block of wood and heat it until all that remains is pure carbon, which is basically charcoal. The scientists then spray calcium over the carbon, creating calcium carbide. Additional chemical and physical steps convert the calcium carbide into carbonated hydroxyapatite."
via Gizmodo
Total Comments 2
Comments
-
I see. The wood will be more porous and pliable like bone. They sure didn't have a wood implant ready for my 81 year old Nan's hip replacement Friday. I think they gave her the Wolverine titanium joint.Posted 08-12-2009 at 10:06 AM by Matt
Updated 08-12-2009 at 10:12 AM by Matt -
Yes, wood makes so much sense! I don't know if hydroxyapatite is strong enough for load-bearing areas like the hip, but it's great for cosmetic augmentation.
Another great option is rapid prototyping of hydroxyapatite implants. Unfortunately, neither of these are going to be available anytime soon. I've settled for polyethylene
Posted 08-13-2009 at 01:47 AM by Ken 
Updated 08-13-2009 at 02:29 AM by Ken
