Fracture setting method could replace metal plates
A new biocompatible polymer-based composite material could soon replace metal plates in treating difficult and unstable fractures. Developed at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, the newly-developed material is as strong as dental composites yet non-toxic.
The material and a surgical method, which were published in Advanced Functional Materials, will be used in clinical studies in 2023 and 2024, with a focus on hand fractures.
Michael Malkoch , professor of fibre and polymer technology at KTH, says that the material and method, which is called AdhFix, will enable customized plating for fixation of fractures with a more comfortable, less complicated recovery. Collarbone and rib fractures in particular are ideally suited for the proposed treatment, since such injuries are not easy to stabilize.
Read a longer version of this text by Peter Larsson and David Callahan