Surface crosslinked polyethylene

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015376349-A1
Application number	US-201514851790-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 11, 2015
Priority date	May 7, 2010
Publication date	Dec 31, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for producing a wear resistant polyethylene medical implant includes forming a medical implant, such as an orthopedic implant, made at least partially of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). The polyethylene may be irradiated with gamma ray or e-beam radiation to form free radicals and then crosslinked to eliminate free radicals prior to exposure to oxygen. The so treated bearing surface of the crosslinked polyethylene is then coated with a photoinitiator. Thereafter the bearing material is photocrosslinked with ultra-violet (UV) radiation. The photocrosslinking process can also be applied to non-crosslink UHMWPE.

First claim

1 . (canceled)

2 . A method for producing a wear resistant ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene medical implant comprising:
forming a medical implant made at least partially of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) with a bearing surface of the medical implant made of virgin UHMWPE; irradiating the medical implant with gamma ray or e-beam radiation to form free radicals and crosslinking the formed free radicals prior to exposure to air; depositing a photoinitiator into the virgin UHMWPE bearing surface by evaporating the photoinitiator, wherein the photoinitiator is penetrated into the virgin UHMWPE bearing surface to a depth of less than about 1 mm; breaking carbon-hydrogen bonds in the UHMWPE by exposing the UHMWPE to ultra-violet (UV) radiation; and removing any residual photoinitiator from the UHMWPE.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the photoinitiator is Benzophenone.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the UV radiation has a wavelength of 300 to 400 mm.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the intensity of the UV radiation is up to 100 mW/cm 2

6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the medical implant is an orthopedic implant.

7 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the medical implant is an acetabular cup or tibial insert.

8 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the irradiation with gamma ray or e-beam radiation and crosslinking are performed in at least two sequential radiation doses.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein each radiation dose is less than 3.0 MRads.

10 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the implant is allowed to cool between gamma ray or e-beam crosslinking and the photocrosslinking.

11 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the photoinitiator selected from the group consisting of 2-methylanthraquinone, 2-ethylanthraquinone, 2-chloroanthraquinone, p-chloranil, benzyl sulfide, benzyl sulfoxide, phenyl sulfoxide, 4-acetylbiphenyl, anthrone, hexachlorobenzene, benzophenone, 4,4′-dimethoxybezophenone, 4-Nitrobenzophenone, 2-chlorobenzophenone, 4-chlorobenzophenone and 4,4′-dichlorobenzophenone.

12 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the residual photoinitiator is removed from the UHMWPE by washing with a solvent.

13 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising sterilizing the medical implant prior to implanting in a human body.

14 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the depth that the photoinitiator penetrated into the virgin UHMWPE bearing surface is between 200 microns and 1 mm.

15 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the irradiating the medical implant with the gamma ray or e-beam radiation is performed after the removing the residual photoinitiator.

16 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the irradiating the medical implant with the gamma ray or e-beam radiation is performed before the depositing a photoinitiator.

17 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the depositing the photoinitiator into the virgin UHMWPE bearing surface of the medical implant is performed before the irradiating the medical implant.

18 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the breaking carbon-hydrogen bonds in the UHMWPE is performed before the irradiating the medical implant.

19 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the removing any residual photoinitiator from the UHMWPE is performed before the irradiating the medical implant.

20 . An orthopedic implant prepared by the method of claim 2 .

21 . The orthopedic implant of claim 20 wherein the implant is an acetabular cup or tibial insert.

Assignees

• Howmedica Osteonics Corp

Inventors

• He Shulin
• Zhang Zongtao
• Hanson Keenan Michael
• Yau Shi-Shen

Classifications

• A61L27/16 Primary

  obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds · CPC title

• C08J7/123

  Treatment by wave energy or particle radiation (C08J7/18 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61L2430/02

  for reconstruction of bones; weight-bearing implants · CPC title

• C08J3/245 Primary

  Differential crosslinking of one polymer with one crosslinking type, e.g. surface crosslinking · CPC title

• C08J2323/06

  Polyethene · CPC title