Φ5.0 Series External Fixation Fixator – Distal Radius Frame

The most common fracture in the upper limbs among older women and young adult males is a distal radius fracture (DRF), which happens within 3 cm of the distal section of the radius. According to studies, DRFs cause 75% of forearm fractures and 17% of total fractures.
Plaster fixing and manipulative reduction do not yield satisfactory outcomes. Following conservative treatment, these fractures can readily realign, and late-stage problems such traumatic bone joint and wrist joint instability may arise. Distal radius fractures are surgically treated to minimize the danger of degenerative change or impairment while allowing patients to complete a sufficient number of painless exercises to resume regular activity.

The following five common procedures are used to handle DRFs in patients 60 years of age and older: plaster fixation, non-bridging external fixation, bridging external fixation, percutaneous Kirschner wire fixation, and volar locking plate system.
Tendonitis and wound infection are more common in patients having DRF surgery with open reduction and internal fixation.
There are two categories of external fixators: non-bridging and cross-joint. A cross-articular external fixator's design limits the wrist's natural range of motion. Nonbridging external fixators are commonly employed due to their restricted capacity to permit joint motion. By immediately repairing the fracture fragments, these devices can aid in the reduction of fractures; they make soft tissue injuries easier to manage and do not impede normal wrist motion while a patient is receiving therapy. Nonbridging external fixators are therefore frequently advised for the treatment of DRF. Traditional external fixators, such as titanium alloys, have been more and more popular in recent decades due to their superior mechanical strength, great biocompatibility, and resistance to corrosion. Researchers are currently searching for new materials for external fixators because the conventional titanium or metal external fixators may seriously distort computed tomography (CT) readings.
For over a decade, researchers have explored and used polyetheretherketone (PEEK)-based internal fixation. Compared to materials used for conventional orthopedic fixation, the PEEK device has the following benefits: improved mechanical properties, reduced interference with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), radiopacity, no metal allergies, simpler implant removal, and avoidance of the "cold welding" phenomena. It possesses good impact, bending, and tensile strength, for instance.
PEEK fixators outperform metal fixation devices in terms of strength, toughness, stiffness, and fatigue strength, according to certain studies13. Although the PEEK material has an elastic modulus of 3.0–4.0 GPa, it can be strengthened by carbon fiber, and by varying the carbon fiber's length and orientation, its elastic modulus can be brought closer to that of cortical bone (18 GPa) or even reach the value of titanium alloy (110 GPa). As a result, PEEK's mechanical characteristics are similar to those of bone. The PEEK-based external fixator has been developed and is currently being used in clinical settings.