Oxford Performance Materials (OPM), an industry leader in advanced polymer science, 3D printed orthopedic devices, and coating technologies, is assisting Orthopedic Help for Ukraine (OHFU) – a non-profit addressing the needs of orthopedic and surgery departments of Ukrainian hospitals – by manufacturing and delivering 3D printed custom implants, along with suture anchors with instrument sets, to front line hospitals treating people injured in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
OHFU partner hospitals are receiving a massive influx of patients with critical bone defects from war-related trauma. Many of these injuries involve complex bone reconstruction – requiring rapid response, patient-specific orthopedic solutions, and materials with appropriate biocompatibility and purity. The nature of these traumatic injuries demands implants that have been demonstrated to integrate well with bone and have antibacterial properties, to manage infection.
Manufacturing on Demand
“A key part of OHFU’s mission is to identify new technologies and capabilities to rapidly treat a high rate of complex bone defect war injuries that result in a very high level of amputations,” said Janine Ignatenko, Executive Director of OHFU. “The current technologies available for the specific needs of our hospital partners are limited, and we have been investigating 3D printed implant technologies as a potential solution. After a review of a range of articles and peer-reviewed studies, we reached out to OPM, the world’s only provider of 3D printed PEKK polymer biomedical implants, with a demonstrated focus on complex patient-specific trauma cases.”
“OPM has been treating complex orthopedic trauma for over a decade, worldwide. Our technology utilizes a proprietary implantable PEKK polymer and 3D printing technology to manufacture patient-specific implants, individually designed to fit perfectly into critical bone defects and then seamlessly integrate with the natural bone. Our PEKK material also has demonstrated antibacterial and antiviral properties. When OHFU reached out and showed us their enormous, complex case-load, our team was inspired, and we understood that we were uniquely positioned to impact their mission, improve case results and reduce amputations,” said Scott DeFelice, CEO of Oxford Performance Materials.
“Surgeons in our hospital network also have a dire need for suture anchors for re-attaching soft tissue to bone. OPM’s suture anchor solution is perfect for our circumstances, providing bone on-growth, inherent antibacterial characteristics, and low unit cost. In addition, OPM’s instrument sets are sterilizable and re-useable – an important benefit for our hospital partners,” continued Janine Ignatenko. “OPM has shipped, pro-bono, an initial delivery of suture anchors and instruments and has already initiated the process toward a first patient-specific implant case. OPM is a small company making a substantial commitment to be an ongoing supplier of pro-bono implants to OHFU partner surgeons. However, our caseload is tremendous, and our hope is to get individuals and organizations to provide support to our foundation so we can procure substantial volumes of products and services from OPM and other companies on a discounted basis. Finally, we recognize the unique nature of our ongoing clinical experience, and we will be providing clinically relevant data to support surgeons and patients in future global conflicts.”
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Author: Edward Wakefield
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