Patients undergoing hip replacements may soon benefit from prosthetic joints that outlive them, as a team of researchers are designing joints that last some 30 years.
One of the five researchers working on the project, called Maltahip, engineering student Donald Dalli told Times of Malta that as people continued to live longer, the longevity of available prosthetics was inadequate.
“People are living for much longer, and so the need for prosthetics that last for decades has never been stronger. Most of today’s hip joints have to be replaced because of wear and tear.
“We are working on a design that could last some 30 years and hopefully outlive the patients,” Mr Dalli, who is working on the project as part of his doctoral study, told the Times of Malta.
People are living much longer... we need long-lasting prosthetics
Mr Dalli said that the University of Malta researchers, who have teamed up with MCL Components Ltd, are currently designing a simulator that will emulate the body, to be able to test the prosthetic before it is transplanted into real patients.
“We are focusing mainly on the design of the joints rather than the material, because that is where the problem lies.
“In fact, the final design has yet to be unveiled because we might need to update it as we test,” Mr Dalli said.
The hip joint simulator is intended to replicate the conditions of the human hip, emulating the physical conditions of walking and other daily activities.
On why he decided to get involved in a project like this, Mr Dalli said that once completed, it could significantly improve the quality of life for many patients, and while he enjoyed the engineering process, this social element had also enticed him to sign up for the project.
Maltahip is financed by the Malta Council for Science and Technology through Fusion: The R&I Technology Development Programme. A total of €194,593 is allocated for this project, with the University of Malta having a workshare value of €145,674.
The novel design was created by Pierre Schembri Wismayer, while Mr Dalli is supervised by Joseph Buhagiar and co-supervised by Prof. Schembri Wismayer and Pierluigi Mollicone. Ray Gatt, head of orthopaedics at Mater Dei Hospital, is providing the team with consultations in his capacity as an orthopaedic surgeon.