Application of Titanium Medical Devices

Mar 21, 2022

Titanium alloy medical instruments are the 3rd generation of surgical instruments after the carbon steel and the stainless steel. In order to improve the anti-rust performance of stainless steel instruments, they often undergo surface treatment such as chrome plating and electropolishing. However, chromium is toxic, and the chromium layer that falls off will have a certain impact on the human body.

The titanium alloy's advantages for medical devices are:

1. The instruments are lightweight, which can reduce the damage to blood vessels, muscles and organs during the operation, and reduce the fatigue of doctors. Medical titanium instruments are more proper for fine microsurgery;

2.Titanium alloy are good in corrosion resistance and non-toxic, the titanium alloy equipment does not rust, the wound is not easy to be infected, and the wound heals quickly;

3. The elasticity of medical titanium alloy is moderate, and it is suitable for pliers, tweezers, microsurgical knives and other instruments;

4. When operating under a shadowless lamp, the reflective performance of medical titanium is weaker, which is more suitable than stainless steel;

Medical titanium medical instruments mainly include: scalpel, surgical forceps, surgical forceps, chest expanders, suture needles, sutures, etc. Medical titanium wire is used as surgical suture, which has the advantages of small tissue response and good torsion resistance compared with other materials (such as stainless steel wire). After suture, the surgical wound is not easy to be inflamed, and the bone suture site is not easy to be displaced. Sutures generally use medical titanium wire (TA1 or TA2 wire) with a diameter of 0.5~0.8mm. In addition, the gentle elasticity of titanium-nickel alloy wire can promote the rapid healing of wounds.

In addition, medical titanium alloy is also an important material for auxiliary rehabilitation equipment, such as wheelchairs, crutches, splints, medical instruments, etc.