Oxidation behaviour in prosthetic UHMWPE components sterilised with high-energy radiation in the presence of oxygen

In the present study, a large number of never implanted, gamma sterilised prosthetic components have been analysed by using FTIR micro-spectroscopy and derivatisation techniques. Based on the obtained oxidation profiles, the samples were divided into three groups and a correlation between the oxidation products and their distribution and some sterilisation parameters have been proposed. Presence of oxygen, dose rate and temperature were found to play a highly relevant role in determining the whole oxidation degree and its distribution in the UHMWPE components.