An Antimicrobial Coating and a Cost-Effective Manufacturing Process to Apply it to Orthopaedic Implants, Reducing Surgical Site Infections by >50%

Accentus is a UK-based medtech SME with a core project team of Philip Agg (CEO), James Shawcross (R&D Director), Andrew Turner (Principal Scientist), David Lewis (Laboratory Manager) and Agnes Gardner (Process Technician).

Surgical site infections (SSIs) greatly diminish patient quality of life, as an intended treatment leads to complications that often require further hospitalisations and surgeries, with the attendant costs and risks. These follow-on treatments also represent a substantial cost burden to hospitals, drawing resources away from primary procedures. As hospitals try to reduce antibiotic use, which can increase the incidence of hospital-acquired infections, antimicrobial treatments on surgical implant surfaces are gaining prominence. However, no such treatments exist for cobalt-chromium materials, despite their common usage in implants.

Accentus is developing an antimicrobial surface treatment for cobalt-chromium orthopaedic implants and a cost-effective method of application. This safe and effective treatment will retain the essential properties of the original material while reducing SSIs by \>50%, benefiting all patients but especially those needing limb salvage or revision. Accentus' approach is unique because it builds on a clinically proven technique and extends it to a new material.