Toxicologic aspects of implants

✍ Scribed by Autian, John

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1967
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 901 KB
• Volume: 1
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9304
• DOI: 10.1002/jbm.820010408

✦ Synopsis

Man-made polymeric materials are being utilized in a number of devices which will be implanied into animals and humans for various periods of t'ime. The diversity of materials and the introduction of new materials into the medical and paramedical professions appear to be increasing a t an accelerated rate each year. Even though great advancements have been made by the biomedical engineer and the surgeon in designing and implanting a prosthetic device in the body, less emphasis apparently ha,s been given to the possible or potential hazardous aspects of the material. An implantable material may initiate a body response in two general ways: ( 1 ) release of an ingredient from the material to the biological environment and ( 2 ) alteration of the mat,erial by the biological environment, leading t,o degradation of the material with its various coiisequences. If serious future hazards are to be kept to a minimum, greater emphasis must, be placed on well-designed t,oxicity studies of materials which, in turn, coldd lead t o standardized materials for implants.