Johnson Matthey’s Platinum Metals Review has published the first comprehensive review of biomedical applications of platinum and pgm alloys.

There are a number of well-established medical and biomedical applications in which the pgms play a vital role. These include the manufacture of specialised components for a range of devices including pacemakers, implantable defibrillators, catheters, stents and neuromodulation devices.

The properties of platinum which make it suitable for these applications include its biocompatibility, inertness within the body, durability, electrical conductivity and radiopacity.

Platinum also finds use in anticancer drugs such as cisplatin and carboplatin.

Platinum, the other pgms and their alloys will inevitably play a "vital part" in satisfying the growing need for advanced medical treatments in both the developed world and, increasingly, the developing world, according to the paper's authors Alison Cowley and Brian Woodward of Johnson Matthey, who both have expertise in medical applications of the pgms.
 

Source: http://www.platinummetalsreview.com/dynamic/article/view/55-2-98-107

A Healthy Future: Platinum in Medical Applications

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