From Which Medical Device
Duration Stabilised Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) was the first annealed (heated below melting temperature) crosslinked polyethylene. Crosslinking is achieved by irradiation, and so the manufacturing process involves irradiation followed by heating. Heating tends to reduce the levels of free radicals within the material. The Duration manufacturing process, developed in the 1990s involved gamma irradiation in nitrogen and heating to 50 degrees whilst in the packaging.
Duration polyethylene was launched in 1996 for hips (ABG II) and knees (Duracon). Clinical studies demonstrated reduced wear in vivo.
References:
Dumbleton JH et al. Highly Crosslinked and Annealed UHMWPE in UHMWPE Biomaterials Handbook, Second Edition. Elsevier. 2009
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