University of Jordan

School of Engineering
Industrial Engineering Dep.

Properties of Engineering Materials

Biomedical Materials
Dr. Yousef Al Abdallat

By :
Adel Lafi 0170983
Omar Aburob 0180704

1|Page
Index

Abstract: 3
Introduction: 3
Body:
Biomaterials: 4
Properties of biomaterials: 4
Procedure of trials: 4
Research center Evaluation: 4
Clinical Trials: 4
The biomaterials in subtleties: 5
Ceramics: 5
Heart valves: 5
Polymers: 5
Pacemaker: 6
Totally artificial heart: 6
Materials used in the production of TAH: 6,7
Complications and difficulties: 7
Biocompatibilityz; 7
Manufacturing issues: 7
Future scope: 7,8
Conclusion: 8
Resources 8

2|Page
Abstract
Biomedical materials science is a field of science that has been used for the previous couple of decades.
Because the introduction of the latest medicine materials gave higher outcomes, we've started using
them a lot in the sector of medicine. Enhancements in medical materials research have led to
discovering new approaches to coping with the various forms of heart diseases. This analysis can
embrace the physical and mechanical properties of the various materials that are employed in this field
of medicine.

Introduction:
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in both men and women in the USA today. heart
disease causes about 1 in 4 deaths in the United States each year. That’s 610,000 people
per year. About 735,000 people in the United States have a heart attack each year.
Heart disease is also one of the top preventable causes of death by basically following a
proper healthy lifestyle. However, in some cases its inevitable to wind up with a heart
disease, whether its because of genetics or just poor lifestyle habits. Humans had to come
up with a way to treat those heart diseases, this is where biomaterials come into the
picture.
For years, studies have been performed concerning the properties of materials that might be
successfully implanted into the human body. We generally call these materials Biomaterials. These
studies show that these materials are a selected group of materials that are characterized by totally
different material composition, chemical structure, and mechanical, chemical, and biological properties.

Biomaterials are accustomed to create devices to switch a region or a task of the body in a safe, reliably
economically, and physiologically acceptable manner. A range of devices and materials are employed in
the treatment of sickness or injury.

The science of biomedical materials involves a study of the composition and properties of materials and
also the approach within which they react with the atmosphere within which they're placed.

3|Page
Body:

Biomaterials
Biomaterial: an artificial material accustomed to create devices to switch a part of a living system or to
operate in intimate contact with living tissue.

Biomaterials are primarily employed in 3 fields regarding the heart: the assembly of cardiac
pacemakers, implant valves, and also the production of totally artificial hearts(TAH). The main criteria
to be taken under consideration within the choice of the biomaterial employed in those productions
are: choice of materials for implants and their applications, environmental impact on the behavior of the
living body of the implant, the essential assumptions of bioavailability, tissue reaction mechanisms,
biophysical, organic chemistry, and biomechanical needs placed implants, corrosion and abrasion and
degradation of a range of biomaterials, and surface layering if required. Groups of biomaterials used
include: bioceramics, polymers, composite materials and metals, and their alloys.

Properties of biomaterials
To each of the groups are pros and cons that rely upon the task for which the material is to be used.
The material chosen undergoes processing if it is to match the characteristics we wish and want. The
foremost often used ceramic implant materials include aluminum oxides, calcium phosphates, and
apatites and graphite. Glasses have conjointly been developed for medical applications. the
employment of ceramics was impelled by (i) their immobility within the body, (ii) their formability into
a range of shapes and porosities, (iii) their high compressive strength, and (iv) some cases their glorious
wear characteristics. Applications of ceramics help in the production of heart valves.

Procedure of trials
Before a material can be utilized in the creation of any clinically used biomaterial, it must go through the
following:

Research center Evaluation: Laboratory tests, some of which are utilized in standard determination, can
be utilized to demonstrate the reasonableness of specific materials. Significantly, strategies used to
assess materials in the research center give results, which can be connected with clinical experience.

Clinical Trials: Although research center tests can give numerous significant and helpful information on
materials, a definitive test is the controlled clinical trial and decision of experts after a time of utilization
all in all training. Numerous materials produce great outcomes in the research facility, possibly to be
discovered lacking when exposed to clinical use. Most makers complete broad clinical trials of new
materials, regularly in participation with a college or a hospital, before discharging an item for use by
general professionals.

4|Page
The biomaterials in subtleties:
Ceramics
Applications of ceramics are in some cases limited by their generally poor
mechanical properties: (a) in tension; (b) load bearing, implant devices that are to
be subjected to significant tensile stresses must be designed and manufactured
with great care if ceramics are to be safely used. . However, for a material to be
successful in an artificial valve it must be highly fatigue resistant. It must be noted
that a pure ceramic heart valve might break and cause the death of the patient so
we use prolyctic carbon which exhibits properties of ceramics, metals and polymers.
Pyrolytic carbon is ductile making it more difficult for a crack to occur in the first
place.

Heart valves
For patients with significant heart valve disease, surgical options for treatment include valve repair or
replacement. The choice between repair and replacement is influenced by a number of factors
including age, type of the valve disease and other medical conditions. When valve replacement is
performed, there are options of mechanical or tissue heart valves. These two classes of valves confer
different characteristics and each have their advantages and disadvantages. Mechanical heart valves
are made from materials such as titanium and carbon. They usually consist of two leaflets and a
metal ring surrounded by a ring of knitted fabric, which is sewn onto the heart in place of the original
valve. There are several different models available for aortic and mitral replacement surgeries. The
main advantage of mechanical valves is that they are very durable. However, these valves provide a
surface on which blood clots can form easily. As a result, anyone who has been implanted with a
mechanical valve needs to be on lifelong blood-thinning medication, such as warfarin, to prevent the
development of blood clots that can cause heart attack or stroke. These valves should be avoided in
women of child-bearing age, as warfarin is not for use in pregnancy, and those with a high risk of
falls or bleeding.

Polymers
Polymers on the other hands are applicable in the production of pacemakers and
totally artificial hearts. There are a large number of polymeric materials that have
been used as implants or part of implant systems. Materials used to construct
pacemakers must be pharmacologically inert, nontoxic, sterilizable, and able to
function in the environmental conditions of the body. To ensure the polymer
chemistry is correct, before the polymer material reaches the patient’s body, a
crucial step in the manufacturing control process is verifying the chemical
information of the polymer material.

5|Page
Pacemaker
A pacemaker is an electrically charged clinical gadget. Your specialist inserts it under your skin to help
oversee sporadic pulses called arrhythmias. Current pacemakers have two sections. One section, called
the beat generator, contains the battery and the hardware that controls your pulse. The other part is at
least one prompts impart electrical signs to your heart. Leads are little wires that run from the beat
generator to your heart.

A few people need an uncommon kind of pacemaker called a biventricular pacemaker, or bent. You may
require a vent on the off chance that you have extreme cardiovascular breakdown. A bivalent makes the
different sides of the heartbeat in a state of harmony. This is known as cardiovascular resynchronization
treatment (CRT). Over 4 million individuals worldwide have an embedded pacemaker or other
cardiovascular moods the board gadget, and an extra 700,000 patients get the gadgets every year.

The totally artificial heart (TAH)

The total artificial heart (TAH) is a form of mechanical circulatory support in which the patient’s
native ventricles and valves are explanted and replaced by a pneumatically powered artificial
heart. Currently, the TAH is approved for use in end-stage biventricular heart failure as a bridge
to heart transplantation. However, with an increasing global burden of cardiovascular disease and
congestive heart failure, the number of patients with end-stage heart failure awaiting heart
transplantation now far exceeds the number of available hearts. As a result, the use of
mechanical circulatory support, including the TAH and left ventricular assist device (LVAD), is
growing exponentially.

Materials used in the production of TAH

Metal, plastic, ceramic, and animal parts are most commonly used in the totally artificial heart.
A titanium-aluminum-vanadium alloy is used for the pump and other metal parts because it is
biocompatible and has suitable structural properties. The titanium parts are cast at a
specialized titanium processor. Except for blood-contacting surfaces, the titanium is machined
to a specific finish. Blood-contacting surfaces receive a special coating of titanium microspheres
that bond permanently to the surface. With this coating, blood cells adhere to the surface,
creating a living lining.
A blood-contacting diaphragm within the pump is made from a special type of polyurethane
that is also textured to provide blood cell adherence. Two tubular grafts are made from
polyester (which are used to attach the device to the aorta) and the valves are actual heart
valves removed from a pig. Other parts that make up the motor are made from titanium or
other metals and ceramics.

6|Page
Materials must be chosen that are biocompatible; otherwise the pump could fail. The efficiency
of the motor must be optimized so that minimal heat is generated. Because of possible
rejection, the total volume and surface area of the entire device should be kept as small as
possible. A typical LVAD weighs around 2.4 lb (1,200 gm) and has a volume of 1.4 pints (660 ml).

Complications and difficulties

Biocompatibility:

Although he insertion of a foreign material into the body induces alot of events, at
the interface between the implanted material and the tissue, which results in the
recognition of the material as foreign matter,. The body’s response to this foreign
material depends on the location of implantation and the composition and
mechanical properties of the material. Thus, the body’s response to an implanted
material is affected by a number of different factors. To evaluate and reduce the risk
for unexpected or unwanted side effects, biocompatibility testing is used to examine
new biomaterials and biomedical devices destined for implantation. The biological
evaluation of the material’s safety is a complex task since it requires knowledge in
the disciplines of medicine, biology, pathology, engineering and materials science.
Manufacturing issues
With the massive amount of specifications and requirements a biomaterial should
meet, we’re bound to face some issues while manufacturing them. For starters,
material selection is a very difficult process and has a lot of subtlety to it, prior to
selecting the material every aspect of the material should be studied. Furthermore,
the material then undergoes processing to match the characteristics needed for its
purpose, say production of pacemakers for example, the material must be
biocompatible, the material shouldn’t degrade and so on. After processing and
running the necessary research and clinical trials, FDA approval is needed for the
use of the material in medical devices. Finally the material is handed to professionals
in universities and hospitals to produce medical devices.

7|Page
Future scope
Future efforts should focus on perfecting composite materials to take full advantage of the
optimal combination of both synthetic and natural biomaterials to improve the overall
performance of implantable materials. This approach will exploit the combined advantages of
both material types. Composite biomaterials have the potential to solve the current dilemma of
having to choose between either synthetics or natural tissues and foregoing the benefits of one or
the other material. Given the diversity of cardiovascular conditions and resulting variable
treatments needed, the wider use of composite biomaterials may the best approach for improving
disease management.
As the field develops, and a wider spectrum of cardiovascular diseases are coming into sight, we
must focus and harness our efforts into further developing biomedical materials that can
withstand all the strains (previously mentioned in the research) that a biomaterial used in the
heart should withstand but at much greater amounts. This can only be achieved through further
research in the fields of materials and cardiovascular health.

Conclusion
The use of biomaterials in human bodies certainly has its advantages and
disadvantages, but the advantages most certainly beat the disadvantages. Some
cultures and religions do find the use of foreign materials in the human body
distasteful, but on the other hand we can not ignore the fact that biomaterials save
lives, in the United States alone, 200,000 pacemakers are implanted each year, in
2016 there were 1.14 milion pacemaker users. As a matter of fact pacemakers save
lives, and thus so do biomaterials. Issues are encountered in the manufacturing of
biomaterials and a lot of money is poured into researching biomaterials, but in
reality this money is invested in people, in saving their lives. Finally, we can
conclude that biomaterials are the future of medicine, they do in fact save lives.

8|Page
Resources

 Biomedical Materials, Roger Narayan, Springer, Boston, MA,

 Online ISBN978-0-387-84872-3
 https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/arrhythmia/prevention--
treatment-of-arrhythmia/pacemaker
 https://www.statista.com/statistics/800794/pacemakers-market-volume-in-units-worldwide/
 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6554598/

9|Page