Using screws and wires for fixing fractured bones is a common procedure. In fact, in some cases, these may be the only solution. However, what is also common is the probability of these screws causing an infection. It is common for patients to feel an irritation in the operated area, and if on further check-up, the problem is considered severe, the screws and such other tools are usually removed.
Such was the case with Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving had to undergo a surgery to remove a tension wire that was used to keep his fractured knee cap together. It was during this surgery that the doctors noticed a bacterial infection growing around the screws as well. He had to, therefore, undergo another surgery in the following month. It did heal his knee, but according to Irving, it was a very difficult and tiring process.
Thomas Webster, a professor at Northeastern University, came up with a device that solves this problem. Thanks to nanotechnology, Prof. Thomas Webster was able to develop a spinal implant that lowers the risk of infection. It is the first such device to be built with the nano features and has also achieved Food and Drug Administration. This spinal implant puts forward the hope that soon such other implants will also come up that will help in cases like Kyrie Irving’s.
Medical devices such as implants can take very long to get approved. Webster along with his team at Northeastern University went through the whole lengthy procedure using the same chemistry that Nanovis offers, but only after changing the texture of the implant’s surface so that he could emulate bone on a nano scale. The problem that Prof. Webster has helped to solve is huge. By preventing infection, the Professor has made sure that there will be no more requirements for antibiotics, which would have otherwise enhanced the chances of the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This has also been a major concern for public health. Almost 23,000 deaths have occurred due to antibiotic resistance. Matt Hedrick, the chief executive of Nanovis, has stated that with the help of Prof. Webster, they intend to improve all of their titanium-based implants.
Teena Rose Tom