Oxinium Hip and Knee Implants

What is OXINIUM Oxidized Zirconium?

Baxter Health uses OXINIUM implants on every hip and knee replacement procedure, providing world-class hypoallergenic implants to over 3,000 patients in our hospital over the last decade. OXINIUM implants start from a metal alloy made primarily from zirconium. Through a special manufacturing process, the material is transformed into a "ceramicized" metal that offers the smoothness and wear resistance of ceramic without losing the strength and durability of metal. To be clear, this is not a coating; the material remains one solid substance throughout.

How is OXINIUM Technology Different?

Implants are constructed from a range of materials, including cobalt chrome and ceramic. These materials do provide their own benefits, but certainly come with their own considerations.

For Example:
Cobalt chrome implants are of strong construction, but they contain the metals cobalt, chromium, and nickel. These metals are known to cause an inflammatory response in the body and are also susceptible to scratching or corrosion, both of which can cause premature wear and ultimately implant failure.

Ceramic implants have a smooth surface, but ceramic-on-ceramic implants can sometimes cause an audible squeaking sound, noticeable by patients. They also carry the risk of brittle fracture, which can lead to the shattering of ceramic material in the body.

The difference is that OXINIUM Technology achieves twice the surface hardness and more corrosion resistance than cobalt chrome. OXINIUM contains virtually zero cobalt, chromium, and nickel, thereby lessening the chance of implant rejection or failure due to patient metal allergies.

At Baxter Health, our Orthopaedic Surgeons are ready to discuss the benefits of OXINIUM knee or hip implants by Smith+Nephew. Feel good about your implant - and everything in it!