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"What goes around comes back around": analyzing the surfaces of medical metal devices during their multistage journey to the surgical operating room
Hirsch, Daniela Lowe, Terry C.
Hirsch, Daniela
Lowe, Terry C.
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2023-04
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Abstract
Alloys of titanium and stainless steel are used to fabricate medical devices that temporarily or permanently augment the function of our musculoskeletal and other physiological systems. At every step of fabrication and packaging, careful attention is given to the conditions of the surfaces of these alloys since adsorption of compounds from the liquid or gaseous environments they are exposed to can affect downstream manufacturing processes and the ultimate medical function of the device. As Justin Timberlake put it “what goes around comes back around” and often not in a good way. In this work, we show how spatially resolved surface analysis techniques can detect surface-environment interactions on metallic medical devices at various stages of manufacturing. In selected case studies we show how Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy and other spectrographic methods can trace the evolution of surface conditions on trauma, orthopedic, and cardiovascular devices. In each case, we emphasize how surface science enables health science and the well-being of patients who require the use of medical metals.
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