MedCAD’s AccuShape PEEK implants are made for patients and physicians wanting the highest standard for a bony void implant that comes as close as possible to a natural, bone-like fit and function available from today’s technologies. Some of the advantages of PEEK customized implants include:
- Rapid design and manufacturing by modeling directly from a patient’s CT scan
- Accuracy of fit that insures an aesthetically superior outcome to other options.
- Durability and strength similar to cortical bone and the ability use commonly available power and fixation instruments to place the implants securely.
PEEK Cost and Price Comparison
“The standard of care has been to make a mold from a patient’s skull defect in plaster and hand-make an implant out of acrylic or some other moldable biomedical material,” says Nancy Hairston, MedCAD’s president and CEO. “Our digital process is much more accurate and PEEK is the best choice and closest biomedical material to natural bone. Unfortunately the cost of PEEK customized implants is perceived to be prohibitively expensive for many. Physicians should be aware that the material is expensive but that material cost is not a large portion of the price tag. Also, most significantly, PEEK can be inexpensively and repeatedly sterilized by steam sterilization which allows for it to be resterilized in the OR if necessary. Alternatives such as UHMWPE or Acrylic are less expensive require high cost sterilization (gamma or ETO). PEEK therefore competes very evenly and in most sizes for cranial facial implants competes better on price.
PEEK also has radiation resistance and resistance to ETO and steam sterilization that is superior to any other implantable material other than titanium.
“ PEEK shows a good resistance to high doses of radiation up to 10 MGy without undergoing appreciable degradation of mechanical properties”1
1 Handbook of Polymer Blends and Composites, Volume 2 edited by Anand K. Kulshreshtha, Cornelia Vasile, c 2002 Rapra Technology Limited, Shropshire, UK ISBN Vol 2: 1-85957-278-2
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Brian Buss,
Director of Operations | MedCAD