Reviewing New Hydrogel Implants
ChE Professor Art Coury was interviewed by Reuters to examine Cativa's new hydrogel implant in the article "Water-based implant new option for Americans with big toe damage".
Source: News @ Northeastern
“It’s a good thing for prolonging a joint’s use without doing something more drastic, like a total joint replacement … but nobody knows how long this hydrogel will last,” said Dr. Arthur Coury, a professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern University in Boston.
“There are some horror stories of hydrogels degrading in the body and what they have done, when they’re meant to be long-lasting.”
Data from a small study tracking Cartiva patients for five years after implantation showed that more than 90 percent of those evaluated retained normal or near-normal joint function.
“I think Cartiva’s product needs to be validated over a much longer period of time before fusion is replaced to a major degree,” Coury told Reuters.