7/7 victims are bionic surgery pioneers (new technology binds skin to metal)

Times Online (U.K.) ^ | July 3, 2006 | Sam Lister

[Stoat]

7/7 victims are bionic surgery pioneers

By Sam Lister, Health Correspondent
 

A TEAM of British scientists has overcome one of the great challenges of modern medicine by developing technology that allows skin to bind with metal without causing infection, improving the prospect of bionic limbs.

 

 

Early clinical trials on a group of patients who have lost limbs, fingers and thumbs, including two people injured in the July 7 bombings a year ago, are described as very promising. Doctors hope to involve more survivors of the London bombs, as well as military personnel and other volunteers who have suffered limb losses.  

The technology, known as Intraosseous Transcutaneous Amputation Prosthesis (ITAP), could lead to the use of fully functioning bionic limbs, linked up to a person’s nervous system and controlled by the patient, within five years.

The technique involves a metal implant attached to bone that protrudes through the skin, which forms a seal around it. Prostheses can then be attached to the device. The breakthrough came after the team of scientists from University College London’s Centre for Biomedical Engineering observed how skin moulds around deers’ antlers.

The ability to attach a prosthetic limb directly to a patient’s skeleton, breaching the skin without infection, not only removes the discomfort of conventional prostheses, but it also reduces the substantial medical costs involved with replacement of sockets, repeated prosthetic fittings, treatment of infections and pressure sores and surgical procedures.

Norbert Kang, a plastic surgeon and the lead investigator in the first clinical trial, based at Mount Vernon Hospital, said that the technique had already been shown to have a significant impact on patients’ lives. One has been able to use a pen and write for the first time in ten years. Another, who lost an eye to cancer, has had a prosthetic eye attached using the technology.

Paul Unwin, managing director of Stanmore Implants Worldwide, a medical devices firm working in collaboration with UCL, described the work as highly successful, so far. “ITAP has the potential to play a key role in the next generation of bionic prostheses, working with artificially intelligent powered limbs, under the control of the patient’s own nervous system,” he said.

The incidence of limb and digit amputation in the developed world is about 390 per million people. In the European Union there are approximately 156,000 digits and limbs amputated annually, mainly as a result of disease.

[Stoat]

Although I'm bracing for the expected inundation of Borg / "You Will Be Assimilated" references and pictures, I'm hoping that this may still be interesting for some. It seems to be quite a leap forward and seems poised to be able to help millions of people.

[goodnesswins]

A friend of mine just had hip replacement surgery....they used titanium and said her bone would grow and meld into the titanium making it even stronger.....which I found VERY interesting.

[Stoat]

That's great! Did the doctors indicate that this was relaed to the ITAP technology ?

[TheWasteLand]

Although I'm bracing for the expected inundation of Borg / "You Will Be Assimilated" references and pictures

Hmmm, no Borg references? Darn!
(Reaches into bag of stupid cultural references).
How about, Steve Austin Ping! We can rebuild him. We have the technology.

[Triggerhippie]

This isn't as new as it seems...

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

No Problemo!

[diamond6]

Is that T3?

[Centurion2000]

Sweet .... with any luck by the time I'm old enough to consider whole body replacement they will be able to do it.

[diamond6]

My dad is supposed to have a hip replacement in the near future... I wonder if he will have the same thing.

[Stoat]

Sweet .... with any luck by the time I'm old enough to consider whole body replacement they will be able to do it.

Too bad brain transplants are still quite a ways off...it would be nice to be able to offer such a service to Leftists and others who have neurological / cognitive issues.

[NavVet]

This reminds me of that movie "Gold Member"

Victims of smelting accidents finally have cause for hope.

[AntiGuv]

FutureTechPing!

An emergent technologies list covering biomedical research, fusion power, nanotech, AI robotics, and other related fields. FReepmail to join or drop.

[Stoat]

Thank you for pinging your list :-)

[Cinnamon]

yep...

[Drammach]

Wow.. Guess I'm the first to reference Wolverine...
Whose bones are laced with the fictional metal Adamantium..

[Clock King]

Doctor Who was there first:

"Skin of metal. And a Body, that will never age, die!"

[Clock King]

I meant "or die!"

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

If you give people's bottoms hard points to bear directly on a chair, they wouldn't need cushions.

Perfect for those hard stadium benches. . . and very interesting for people with severe bedsore issues.

[DarkSavant]

I'm holding out for the Wolverine claws.

[Lee'sGhost]

I'm all for the Borg references as long as they include pictures of Jerry Ryan.