Experimental analysis of the wear behavior of total knee endoprostheses with bovine serum and synthetic synovial fluid as lubricants

For preclinical wear testing of total knee endoprostheses bovine serum as lubricant is recommended. Recent studies address the suitability of bovine serum as a lubricant due to its different properties compared to human synovial fluid. Therefore, wear tests according to ISO 14243 with synthetic synovial fluid vs. bovine serum as lubricants were performed in present study. The polyethylene inserts showed similar and typical wear patterns and products with both lubricants. However, higher wear rates were measured with synthetic synovial fluid as lubricant. In general, synthetic synovial fluid seems suitable for preclinical wear testing of total knee endoprostheses.