List of orthopedic implants

An orthopedic implant is a medical device manufactured to replace a missing joint or bone, or to support a damaged bone. The medical implant is mainly fabricated using stainless steel and titanium alloys for strength and the plastic coating that is done on it acts as an artificial cartilage. The biodegradable metals in this category are magnesium-based and iron-based alloys, though recently zinc has also been investigated. Currently, the uses of bioresorbable metals are as fracture fixation implants Internal fixation is an operation in orthopedics that involves the surgical implementation of implants to repair a bone. During the surgery of broken bones through internal fixation the bone fragments are first reduced into their normal alignment then they are held together with the help of internal fixators such as plates, screws, nails, pins, and wires.

Eponymous implants and their uses

Austin-Moore prosthesis for fracture of the neck of the femur
Baksi's prosthesis for elbow replacement
Charnley prosthesis for total hip replacement
Condylar blade plate for condylar fractures of the femur
Ender's nail for fixing intertrochanteric fracture
Grosse-Kempf nail for tibial or femoral shaft fracture
Hansson pin, a hook-pin used for fractures of the femoral neck
Harrington rod for fixation of the spine
Hartshill rectangle for fixation of the spine
Insall Burstein prosthesis : for total knee replacement
Richard N.W. Wohns interspinous implant and implantation instrument intended to be implanted between two adjacent dorsal spines
Kirschner wire for fixation of small bones
Kuntscher nail for fracture of the shaft of the femur
Luque rod: for fixation of the spine
Moore's pin for fracture of the neck of the femur
Neer's prosthesis for shoulder replacement
Rush nail for diaphyseal fractures of a long bone
Smith-Petersen nail for fracture of the neck of femur
Smith-Petersen nail with McLaughlin's plate for intertrochanteric fracture
Seidel nail for fracture of the shaft of the humerus
Souter's prosthesis for elbow replacement
Steffee plate for fixation of the spine
Steinmann pin for skeletal traction
Swanson prosthesis for the replacement of joints of the fingers
Talwalkar nail for fracture of radius and ulna
Thompson prosthesis for fracture of the neck of the femur

Research progress

The discipline of orthopedic implants is constantly evolving as new biomaterials become available. An important consideration in this respect is that the health status of the patient influences the optimal choice of the material to be implanted. For instance it was shown that patients with steatotic liver disease benefit from nanohydroxyapatite-coated titanium surfaces, whereas this is not necessary for patients without fatty liver disease. A surface engineering method was developed for biodegradable magnesium alloys to enhance orthopedic implants.