Metallic bone implant having improved implantability and method of making the same

1. A method for producing metallic bone implants, the method comprising the ordered steps of providing a metallic bone implant composed of a biocompatible material with a surface topography exhibiting macroscopic texturing or roughening and thereafter implanting elemental calcium in the form of calcium ions on the enhanced surface of the metallic bone implant material, wherein the step of providing the metallic bone implant with a surface topography comprises subjecting the bone implant to a surface roughening treatment, and wherein the surface roughening treatment step comprises blasting the metallic bone implant with a blast media characterized by its solubility in strong acid, and further comprising the step of dissolving substantially all of the blast media remaining on the enhanced surface area of the bone implant after roughening treatment by using a solution comprising nitric acid.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of providing the metallic bone implant with a surface topography comprises providing a porous metallic surface coating on the bone implant.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface topography of the bone implant is characterized by surface roughness between 0.5 and 4.0 microns (Ra).

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the elemental calcium in the form of calcium ions are implanted at a planar dose of planar dose between 0.5 E 17 /cm 2 and 10 E 17 /cm 2 .

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the elemental calcium in the form of calcium ion implantation step comprises depositing the calcium ions deposited onto the surface topography at an acceleration energy between 15 and 40 keV, and an ion beam current density of between 30 and 60 microA/cm 2 in a neutral atmosphere.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the elemental calcium in the form of calcium ion concentration is implanted in the biocompatible material at the surface to a depth of between 100 and 2500 angstroms.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the surface topography is at least one of a metal, a metal alloy, a ceramic, a natural or synthetic polymer, and composite of any of these materials.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the biocompatible material is at least one of titanium, niobium, zirconium, tantalum, cobalt, alloys thereof, and stainless steel.