Smith+Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN), the global medical technology company, is pleased to announce that the latest annual report from the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR) highlights the exceptional performance of Smith+Nephew’s proprietary OXINIUM on highly cross-linked polyethylene. The data indicates that this combination has the highest survivorship rate (94.1%) among all bearing combinations over a 20-year period for total hip arthroplasty (THA).1
The report on 20-year outcomes corroborates similar findings and peer-reviewed publications from the National Joint Registry for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man (NJR).2 Whitehouse et al. found that hip implants combining delta ceramic or OXINIUM (Oxidized Zirconium) heads with XLPE (highly cross-linked polyethylene) liners or cups had the lowest risk of needing revision surgery over a 15-year period.3
Four registries in total - including the Italian Registry (RIPO; Register of Orthopaedic Prosthetic Implants) and the Dutch Arthroplasty Register (LROI) - have now demonstrated that OXINIUM/XLPE had a 35% lower risk of revision at 10-years versus other modular acetabular implants1-5
These findings offer valuable guidance for surgeons and patients in selecting the most reliable implant materials for long-term outcomes. “When I started in practice more than 20 years ago bearing wear was the leading cause of failure of hip replacements,” said Prof. Bill Walter of The University of Sydney and Royal North Shore Hospital. “We used to see osteolysis as the main reason for revision. The AOANJRR now shows that bearing wear has been virtually eliminated as a cause of failure. The bearing combination of OXINIUM on highly cross-linked polyethylene leads the pack with revision rates at 20 years significantly lower than even metal on XLPE.”
Through a unique manufacturing process, the OXINIUM alloy becomes a ceramicised metal - a true material transformation - rather than an applied coating.6 It is this material transformation that provides OXINIUM with its ground-breaking performance benefits which include:
- Unrivalled Material Science: The durability of metal, the wear resistance of ceramic and corrosion resistance better than both metal and ceramic.6-16
- Differentiated Composition: Virtually no nickel, cobalt and chromium,16 with a 30x reduction in pro-inflammatory markers for OXINIUM.*17 As such, OXINIUM implants do not require declaration of the presence of CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic) substances on the labeling.
“Registries throughout the world have highlighted the performance of OXINIUM for total hip arthroplasty. The AOANJRR report showing 20-year outcomes provides powerful evidence for payers, hospitals, surgeons, and patients of our truly differentiated and proven technology,” said Craig Gaffin, President of Global Orthopaedics at Smith+Nephew. “OXINIUM/XLPE continues to demonstrate superior revision rates across multiple global joint replacement registries.”
About Smith+Nephew
Smith+Nephew is a portfolio medical technology business focused on the repair, regeneration and replacement of soft and hard tissue. We exist to restore people’s bodies and their self-belief by using technology to take the limits off living. We call this purpose ‘Life Unlimited’. Our 17,000 employees deliver this mission every day, making a difference to patients’ lives through the excellence of our product portfolio, and the invention and application of new technologies across our three global business units of Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine & ENT and Advanced Wound Management.
Founded in Hull, UK, in 1856, we now operate in around 100 countries, and generated annual sales of $5.8 billion in 2024. Smith+Nephew is a constituent of the FTSE100 (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN). The terms ‘Group’ and ‘Smith+Nephew’ are used to refer to Smith & Nephew plc and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise.
