Conductive polymer sensor arrays for smart orthopaedic implants

Micolini, Carolina; Holness, F. Benjamin; Johnson, James A.; Price, Aaron D.

doi:10.1117/12.2260404

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Thus, a piezoresistive polymer with low wear rates and good biocompatibility could be used as a force-sensing smart implant in applications where UHMWPE is used today, including knee, hip and shoulder arthroplasty. 102 Similarly, force sensors and their signal conditioning circuits that are integrated into the polyethylene insert have also been developed. 101 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Smart implants in orthopedic surgery, improving patient outcomes: a review

Ledet

Liddle

Kradinova

et al. 2018

IEH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Smart implants are implantable devices that provide not only therapeutic benefits but also have diagnostic capabilities. The integration of smart implants into daily clinical practice has the potential for massive cost savings to the health care system. Applications for smart orthopedic implants have been identified for knee arthroplasty, hip arthroplasty, spine fusion, fracture fixation and others. To date, smart orthopedic implants have been used to measure physical parameters from inside the body, including pressure, force, strain, displacement, proximity and temperature. The measurement of physical stimuli is achieved through integration of application-specific technology with the implant. Data from smart implants have led to refinements in implant design, surgical technique and strategies for postoperative care and rehabilitation. In spite of decades of research, with very few exceptions, smart implants have not yet become a part of daily clinical practice. This is largely because integration of current sensor technology necessitates significant modification to the implants. While the technology underlying smart implants has matured significantly over the last several decades, there are still significant technical challenges that need to be overcome before smart implants become part of mainstream health care. Sensors for next-generation smart implants will be small, simple, robust and inexpensive and will necessitate little to no modification to existing implant designs. With rapidly advancing technology, the widespread implementation of smart implants is near. New sensor technology that minimizes modifications to existing implants is the key to enabling smart implants into daily clinical practice.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Smart implants in orthopedic surgery, improving patient outcomes: a review

Ledet

Liddle

Kradinova

et al. 2018

IEH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Many different existing sensing mechanisms could potentially meet the clinical need for quantitative force sensing, including capacitive, resistive, piezoresistive, optical, triboelectric, magnetic, passive resonator and FET-based sensors 31 . Capacitive sensors have limited spatial resolution compared to resistive ones, but have a higher reliability [32][33][34][35][36][37] . Flexible microfluidic force sensors have been made previously for tactile and haptic sensing [38][39][40] , but could not reach the high forces required in this application.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sensors and trial implant provide minimal modification to the insert itself during surgery. Existing devices in the literature either modify the implant geometry 24,36,46 , which has been deemed expensive and technically challenging 31 , disturb the contact zone between the femoral head and acetabular cup 45,47 , or are implanted away from the contact area and therefore do not directly measure contact forces 48 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conformable and robust force sensors to enable precision joint replacement surgery

Ives

Pace

Bor

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Balancing forces within weight-bearing joints such as the hip during joint replacement surgeries is essential for implant longevity. Minimising implant failure is vital to improve patient wellbeing and alleviate pressure on healthcare systems. With improvements in surgery, hip replacement patients are now often younger and more active than in previous generations, and their implants correspondingly need to survive higher stresses. However, force balancing currently depends entirely on surgical skill: no sensors can provide quantitative force feedback within the hip joint’s small, complex geometry. Here, we solve this unmet clinical need by presenting a thin and conformable microfluidic force sensor, which is compatible with the standard surgical process. We optimised the design using finite element modelling, then incorporated and calibrated our sensor in a model hip implant. Using a bespoke testing rig, we demonstrated high sensitivity at typical forces experienced during hip replacements. We anticipate that these sensors will aid implant positioning, increasing the lifetime of hip replacements, and represent a powerful new surgical tool for a range of orthopaedic procedures where force balancing is crucial.

show abstract

“…To analyze loads in orthopedic implants, a three-dimensionally (3D)-printed sensor array (composed of PANI structures embedded in a polymeric parent phase) was developed. , Linear outputs following fractional changes in resistance occurring during incrementally applied loads, were obtained. For the detection of micromotion, eddy current sensors and factors that affect the sensitivity and range of sensors implanted in the tibia beneath the metallic plate were also investigated .…”

Section: Implant Integrating Sensorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implants with Sensing Capabilities

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Because of the aging human population and increased numbers of surgical procedures being performed, there is a growing number of biomedical devices being implanted each year. Although the benefits of implants are significant, there are risks to having foreign materials in the body that may lead to complications that may remain undetectable until a time at which the damage done becomes irreversible. To address this challenge, advances in implantable sensors may enable early detection of even minor changes in the implants or the surrounding tissues and provide early cues for intervention. Therefore, integrating sensors with implants will enable real-time monitoring and lead to improvements in implant function. Sensor integration has been mostly applied to cardiovascular, neural, and orthopedic implants, and advances in combined implant-sensor devices have been significant, yet there are needs still to be addressed. Sensor-integrating implants are still in their infancy; however, some have already made it to the clinic. With an interdisciplinary approach, these sensor-integrating devices will become more efficient, providing clear paths to clinical translation in the future.

show abstract

Conductive polymer sensor arrays for smart orthopaedic implants

Cited by 3 publications

References 16 publications

Smart implants in orthopedic surgery, improving patient outcomes: a review

Smart implants in orthopedic surgery, improving patient outcomes: a review

Conformable and robust force sensors to enable precision joint replacement surgery

Implants with Sensing Capabilities

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About