Biomedical Research

Background: Premature failure of the nail with an unstable fracture may lead to non-union, nail migration and shortening. The objective of the study was to determine the mechanical properties of Intramedullary Tibia nail. Materials and methods: In a basic concern, the intramedullary nail was used to enhance the bone healing in spite of external fixator. Finite element analysis was performed to examine the performance of titanium alloy based nail under three type load (axial, lateral and torsion). Mechanical testing (Static bending, fatigue and torsional testing were conducted on titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) Tibia nail. The stiffness of the implant-bone construct and movement of the fragments were tested under axial loading and torsion. The constructs were tested to failure under cyclic fatigue loading. Results: The maximum stress was concentrated at contact area of standard nail. For the new nail the maximum stress was showed at contact area when same force applied. Moreover, the stress developed in the new nail was similar as standard nail. The mean bending stiffness was 120.62 N/mm while the maximum run-out bending moment was 22.8 Nm at 600 N load without any fracture under fatigue load. The mean torque was 65.56 Nm when IMFD was set to be a maximum angle of 100 degrees. Conclusion: From biomechanical point of view, this titanium based nailing system is more preferable implant for tibia fracture osteosynthesis.

Author(s): Himanshu Kumar Pandey, Akash Panwar, Prashant Kumar, Mohit Kumar, Gaurav Luthra
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