The Problematic Issues of Nitinol Use in Clinical Practice

Currently, it is likely that we can expect a further increase of the use of Nitinol in medical applications. One of its more and more accentuated advantages is the non-interference of NiTi  with NMR, which becomes frequently prescribed in clinical practice. I will present some rare events of NiTi medical device failures, which recently lead to serious injuries of patients due to intensive corrosion. The attention will be focused on differences between the standard material requirements and real stresses and strains most likely present within the NiTi implanted in human body from a perspective of its long term use. Additional research activity and revision of current quality standards concerning clinical use of NiTi in highly corrosive body environments will be recommended and the attention will be further drawn to risks associated with application of potentially inappropriate processing conditions during production of specific NiTi medical devices to be used in highly corrosive body environments.