Applications of Titanium materials in the medical field

As an emerging material, titanium has been used for decades in the pharmaceutical industry, surgical instruments, human implants and other fields, and has achieved great success. The requirements for implant materials can be classified into three aspects:Biocompatibility of materials with the human body, corrosion resistance of materials in the human environment and mechanical properties of materials.

In response to bone and joint damage caused by trauma and tumors in the human body, titanium and titanium alloys can be used to manufacture artificial joints, bone plates and screws, which are now widely used in clinical practice. Also used for hip joints (including femoral heads), knee joints, elbow joints, metacarpophalangeal joints, artificial hearts (heart valves), artificial dental implants, artificial vertebrae (spinal orthoses), pacemaker shells, interphalangeal joints , mandible, and titanium mesh in cranial plastic surgery.

Medical titanium alloy medical instruments are the third generation of surgical instruments after carbon steel and stainless steel. In order to improve the anti-rust performance, stainless steel instruments often undergo surface treatments such as chrome plating and electropolishing. However, chromium is toxic, and the shed chromium layer will have certain effects on the human body.

The benefits of using medical titanium alloys as medical devices are:

1：The instruments are lightweight and can reduce damage to blood vessels, muscles, and organs during surgery,

reducing doctor fatigue. Medical titanium instruments are more suitable for precise microsurgery;

2：It has good corrosion resistance and is non-toxic, the equipment will not rust, the wound will not be easily

infected, and the wound will heal quickly;

3：Medical titanium alloy has moderate elasticity and is suitable for use in pliers, tweezers, microsurgery and

other instruments;

4：When operating under a shadowless lamp, medical titanium has weaker reflective properties and is more

suitable than stainless steel;

Medical titanium medical devices mainly include: Scalpel, surgical forceps, surgical forceps, chest expander, suture needle, suture thread, etc. Medical titanium wire is used as surgical suture. Compared with other materials (such as stainless steel wire), it has the advantages of small tissue reaction and good torsion resistance. After suturing, the surgical wound is less likely to become inflamed and the bone suture site is less likely to shift. Sutures generally use medical titanium wire (TA1 or TA2 wire) with a diameter of 0.5~0.8mm. In addition, the soft elasticity produced by titanium-nickel alloy wire can promote rapid wound healing.

  In addition, medical titanium alloys are also important materials for auxiliary rehabilitation equipment, such as wheelchairs, crutches, splints, medical instruments, etc.