Antimicrobial coatings for implant surfaces

Body-foreign materials are used more and more frequently in our lives: joint implants (hips, knees, fingers, etc.), catheters, pacemakers, dental and aesthetic implants, etc. The increasing numbers of patients requiring such implants also raises the absolute numbers of implant-related infections. Thus, it is known that body-foreign materials are prone to bacterial adhesion and subsequent biofilm formation, either via bacterial debris on implant materials, infections during implantation or, later on, via haematogenous seeding. Biofilms, once formed, are impossible to treat with antibiotics, and the immune system response leads to implant loosening, requiring total replacement. The strategy is thus to prevent bacterial adhesion to implant materials' surfaces. Different strategies have been tested in this context and will be presented here, together with our own approach, using a combination of different anti-microbial compounds.