A FEMORAL STEM FOR PERMANENT IMPLANTATION INTO THE NATURAL FEMUR

摘要

An orthopedic device (10), especially a hip joint prosthesis (10) comprising a stem and a spherical head, is formed from a composite material (42, 44) which is reinforced with continuous filament or carbon fibers (26) to provide the material with high flexural strength, hydrolytic stability and a medical grade quality. The stem and spherical head can be formed from a composite block (54). In the alternative, the stem alone can be formed from the block and a head of another material attached to one end of the stem. Sheets of carbon fibers held together by a polymer are rolled in a spiral configuration about an axial direction to form the stem and then molded under heat and pressure. The resulting composite is then machined to form the orthopedic device.