The BoneFix platform is a paradigm shift from traditional metal implants. As with any medical device, the highest level of scrutiny must be applied to ensure it performs as designed when it is eventually used in the clinic with patients. In the field of orthopaedics, one of the most critical parameters that must be evaluated is its biomechanical performance.
During the last 6 months AO Research Institute (ARI), in Davos Switzerland and RegionH hospital, in Copenhagen Denmark have collaborated in performing the initial mechanical evaluation of the load-bearing criteria for BoneFix. ARI possesses a world-class biomechanical testing facility and expertise from decades of cutting-edge orthopaedic research. These capabilities are coupled with the surgical expertise of the team at RegionH. This partnership has been enabled by the BoneFix project and is being driven by the close collaboration between Peter Schwarzenberg, a post-doc at ARI, and Thomas Colding-Rasmussen, an orthopaedic surgeon from RegionH. The team is supervised by Peter Varga, a focus area leader at ARI, and Christian Wong, a consulting orthopaedic surgeon at RegionH.
The team has developed robust biomechanical testing procedures to evaluate the novel, customizable BoneFix platform. These techniques utilize electromechanical testing machines, stereographic motion tracking cameras, micro-CT scanners, and specimen-specific computer simulations to thoroughly evaluate the intricate fixation system. Osteosyntheses are created on an ovine phalanx model before loading the fixation in different modes and measuring how it responds
The collaboration is very rewarding and we can utilize each other’s competencies in developing these mechanical evaluation setups – Thomas Colding-Rasmussen, an orthopaedic surgeon.
Through this work, Biomedical Bonding’s adaptable composite fixator AdhFix has been used as an early testing substitute to the BoneFix fixation system and has shown biomechanical results comparable to traditional metal plates, with vast potential to improve patient care.
BoneFix is an exciting technology that has great potential from a biomechanical point of view. The collaboration that has formed between ARI and RegionH has been vital in tackling these challenging new problems – Peter Schwarzenberg, PhD.
The team is now ready to test BoneFix prototypes as they have developed in the project as well as the final platform when all 3 domains will come together.