Cartiva toe

Modern science never ceases to amaze, especially with improvements on existing technology. Physicist Michio Kaku illustrates this point very well: in 2011, your cellular telephone had more computing power than the entirety of NASA when it landed men on the moon in 1969. And that annoying little birthday card you get that plays music? The chip inside that card has more computing power than all of the Allied Forces in World War 2. What countries would have gone to war over in 1945 or 1969, we simply throw away, donate to a thrift store or try to sell for 50 cents at a yard sale.

As impressive as this all sounds, we still struggle to mimic what Mother Nature does so easily: the biomechanics of the human body. For example, in 2016, Cartiva, Inc. developed a synthetic cartilage implant (SCI) designed to address pain and reduced range of motion of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (often caused by arthritis). This is the joint where your big toe connects to the rest of your foot.

Unfortunately, the Cartiva SCI failed to meet expectations, which I wrote about last summer. Since publishing that blog post, there have been a few notable developments, including a medical device recall and a number of lawsuits getting close to trial.

The Cartiva toe implant has become a commonly used device aimed at relieving symptoms of arthritis in the big toe. It has, however, been known to fail at an abnormally high rate, causing pain, loss of motion, and even additional surgery. If you or someone you know has experienced adverse health effects from receiving the Cartiva toe implant, you may want to keep reading.

About the Cartiva Implant

The Cartiva toe implant was manufactured to treat symptoms of big toe arthritis. This type of arthritis occurs when cartilage is damaged, or worn down, in the big toe joint. The degraded cartilage causes the bones to rub together, which can lead to pain, stiffness, and swelling. The Cartiva implant is a synthetic replacement for the degraded cartilage. Its primary purpose is to reduce bone-on-bone friction in the metatarsophalangeal joint in the big toe. It is specifically molded from Polyvinyl Hydrogel (PVA Hydrogel), and is roughly the size of a popcorn kernel. Prior to this implant, the only viable treatment option for big toe arthritis was a difficult fusion surgery that left the patient with limited mobility. This product became the first openly accessible alternative to fusion surgery.

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