Abstract
A relatively high measure of success is experienced today in the use of metal implants in the body. This success can be attributed to advanced metallurgical technology coupled with improved medical and surgical techniques. Ludwigson [1,2] has followed the history of metal implants and assigned several development periods: ancient times to 1875 when pure metals, copper, silver, and gold were used; from 1875 to 1925 when surgery and implantation became more successful; and finally the relatively current period from 1925 when more satisfactory results have been experienced with metals and alloys appropriately developed for such service. There are approximately 2,000,000 metal implants used in the United States today if we consider each pin and screw separately. The number of hip implants, the major joint replacement, is 50,000 per year in the United States alone [3].
Research sponsored by Union Carbide Corporation under contract with Energy Research and Development Administration.
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© 1978 Plenum Press, New York
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Gray, R.J. (1978). Failure Analyses of Surgical Implants from the Human Body Can Improve Product and Performance Reliability. In: McCall, J.L., French, P.M. (eds) Metallography in Failure Analysis. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2856-8_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2856-8_10
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