Collaboration delivers cannulated screws for foot and ankle surgery

Solvay’s Zeniva polyetheretherketone (PEEK) resin was chosen by Carbon22 for its new Creed Cannulated Screw System for foot and ankle surgery. This advanced new screw system recently received 510(k) clearance from the FDA. 

To create the new system’s ortholucent, plastic–metal hybrid composite, Solvay’s implant-grade radiolucent Zeniva PEEK resin is overmoulded onto a titanium core prior to final processing. This high-performance material solution allows the screw to be seen with X-ray or computed tomography (CT) scanning while enabling the surgeon to accurately assess anatomical details near and behind the implant site without visual distortion or artifacts. 

The new Creed Cannulated screws are produced using unique manufacturing technology from Carbon22. This groundbreaking process helps control costs by reducing material waste, compared with traditional titanium screws, which generates significant and expensive scrap during machining. In addition, the Carbon22 hybrid enables a more aggressive cutting tip which cannot be realised with all-PEEK screw designs.

“We worked closely with Carbon22 to achieve strong adhesion to titanium, which is not an inherent property of PEEK,” said Anna Maria Bertasa, Healthcare Global Marketing Manager for Solvay Specialty Polymers. 

Although all-titanium screws are opaque to X-rays, and imaging of all-PEEK screws is affected by their diameter, the Creed hybrid composite screws allow X-rays to pass through to the bone. These new screws generate an outline that greatly enhances visualisation of bony structures. Surgeons can use this capability to confirm screw placement during surgical procedures, check positioning post-operatively and determine the status of the healing process at follow-up appointments. The ability to image screw placement gives surgeons greater confidence and can help them achieve better patient outcomes.