The effects of blood and fat on Morse taper disassembly forces.

Biological debris between modular components using Morse tapers in hip arthroplasty can lead to weakening of the implant construct. We conducted a study to determine the effect of blood and fat within the taper interface. Tapers were divided into groups 1 (clean), 2 (surface covered with blood and fat), and 3 (blood and fat wiped off). Each taper was impacted and disassembled 5 times. There was a difference in mean disassembly force between pulls within group 2. Thus, blood and fat contamination can have a significant effect on the potential for disassembly.