Quantifying Titanium in Implants (written Elizabeth Hofheinz @ OTW)
According to new research published in Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry,researchers from Spain have developed a highly sensitive method of quantifying the levels of titanium (Ti) in the blood of patients fitted with titanium orthopedic implants. Yoana Nuevo-Ordóñez and colleagues of the Sanz-Medel research group from the University of Oviedo have established a baseline for natural levels of titanium in untreated individuals, as well as measuring levels in patients with surgical implants.
The results? Controls had very low levels of titanium in the blood, whereas titanium concentrations were significantly higher for all the patients with implants. There were also significant differences in titanium levels for different types of bone fixation devices. The more invasive implants shed more metallic debris into the blood than the external, superficial designs. The work also identified how the titanium from the implants is transported in the bloodstream and potentially distributed and accumulated.
Professor Alfredo Sanz-Medel, one of the study’s lead authors, told OTW,
At the beginning it was surprising to ...
