Increased total knee arthroplasty ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene wear using a clinically relevant hyaluronic acid simulator lubricant

In this study, osteoarthritic and periprosthetic synovial fluid samples were rheologically and biochemically compared to develop a hyaluronic acid (HA) supplemented bovine serum (BS) lubricant that mimicked the properties of human joint synovial fluid. The effect of this BS + HA lubricant (50 per cent bovine calf serum + 1.5 g/l HA) on the wear rate of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) during a total knee replacement wear test was then investigated. In conjunction with biochemical similarities, the rheological analysis showed that the BS + HA lubricant viscosity was not statistically different to aspirated total knee arthroplasty (TKA) revision joint fluid viscosity over a range of physiologic shear rates. Gravimetric results at 5 million wear testing cycles showed that the BS + HA lubricant produced an average of 6.88 times more UHMWPE wear than 50 per cent bovine serum lubricant alone. The BS + HA lubricated CoCr femoral component surfaces revealed pitting and surface roughening that was not observed using standard bovine serum only lubricants, but that was similar to the metallic surface corrosion observed on in vivo CoCr femoral component retrievals. These findings support the hypothesis that the addition of HA to simulator lubricant is capable of producing CoCr femoral component surface damage similar to that observed in vivo.