Vivacit-E® Vitamin E Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene Long-term Performance For High Demand Patients

Total joint replacement is being performed on younger patients who expect to remain active throughout their lifetime, and as such this demographic shift has created a need for long-term implant bearing performance. First introduced in the 1990s, highly crosslinked polyethylene (HXPE) has demonstrated promising wear properties through the first decade of in vivo use. Recent studies, however, have shown the potential for in vivo oxidation, which can affect long-term performance; performance in the second and third decades of use is not known. After years of research and development, Zimmer has addressed the issue of in vivo oxidation with a proprietary method of grafting (locking) Vitamin E to HXPE that prevents oxidation. The result is Vivacit-E Vitamin E Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene, a bearing surface that delivers on the three critical performance characteristics of polyethylene: