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Tuesday, 04 July 2006 08:59 | BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
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Researchers at University College London have developed technology that enables artificial limbs to be directly attached to a human skeleton.
The technique, called Intraosseous Transcutaneous Amputation Prosthesis (ITAP), involves securing a titanium rod directly into the bone.
The metal implant passes through the skin and the artificial limb can be directly attached to it.
Risk of infection, which could be caused by bacteria passing from the external limb through the rod to the bone, is avoided because the skin tissue meshes around the rod to form a seal.
Dr Paul Unwin, managing director of Stanmore Implants Worldwide, a medical devices company that worked in collaborated with the scientists, said: "The mobility of tissue is a big factor; you don't want the tissue to rip away from the piece of metal, so you need a structure under the skin that will allow the dermal tissues to attach into the metal.
"What we had seen in the deer antlers was that it is very much to do with the structure and shape of the bone, and the porosity of the bone.
"The tissue attaches in with long fibres, and it is like anchors attaching directly into it”.
He said that early clinical trials, which had taken places at Mount Vernon Hospital, Middlesex, on a small group of patients who had lost fingers or thumbs had been very encouraging.
The next stage, he added, would be to carry out trials on upper and lower limb replacements.
Zafar Khan, chairman of the Limbless Association, said: "As an amputee, residual limbs are currently inserted into a socket, to which a prosthetic limb is attached.
"And when you walk or use the limb there is a movement and that causes rubbing and pressure sores. The real benefit is that would not happen with this new technique.
"But on the downside, I would still be worried about infection”.
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