Coating and coating method

1. A medical implant comprising an implant surface having a surface coating comprising a silver-substituted osseointegration agent and an antimicrobial metal agent, wherein the silver-substituted osseointegration agent has a silver concentration that exhibits homogeneity throughout a thickness of the surface coating, and wherein the antimicrobial metal agent is present in at least a part of the coating as discrete particles and are one or more of metallic silver, metallic copper and metallic zinc, the discrete particles exhibiting release kinetic characteristics that release the antimicrobial metal agent into a host tissue as metallic ions, metallic particles or metallic compounds, wherein the release of the antimicrobial metal agent into the host tissue is in the form of a burst release, a sustained release or a combined burst and sustained release and is at a concentration sufficient to have an anti-bacterial effect on the host tissue.

2. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the antimicrobial metal agent in the surface coating is present at about 0.1 to about 10 weight percent.

3. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the discrete particles are discrete metallic silver particles.

4. The medical implant of claim 3 , wherein the metallic silver particles are spherical or irregular in shape.

5. The medical implant of claim 4 , wherein the diameter of the metallic silver particles is about 15 nm to about 10 μm.

6. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the silver-substituted osseointegration agent includes about 0.1 to about 10% by weight of silver.

7. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the silver-substituted osseointegration agent includes about 0.5 to about 3.0% by weight of silver.

8. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the osseointegration agent comprises hydroxyapatite, β-tricalcium phosphate, or a mixture of both.

9. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the surface coating is about 1 μm.

10. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the surface coating is about 10 μm to about 200 μm.

11. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the surface coating is about 30 μm to about 100 μm.

12. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the tensile attachment strength of the surface coating to the implant surface is equal to or greater than about 15 MPa.

13. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the surface coating further has osteoinductive, or osteopromotive properties.

14. The medical implant of claim 1 , wherein the osseointegration agent further includes at least one of the following, carbonate, fluoride, silicon, magnesium, strontium, vanadium, lithium, copper, or zinc.

15. A medical implant comprising an implant surface having a surface coating, the surface coating having a thickness greater than about 1 μm and comprising a calcium derived osseointegration agent and an antimicrobial metal agent;

wherein the osseointegration agent comprises from about 0.1 to about 10% by weight of silver, and the antimicrobial metal agent is discrete metallic silver particles having a diameter of from about 15 nm to about 10 μm, the silver particles being distributed throughout the thickness of the surface coating and exhibiting release kinetic characteristics that release the antimicrobial metal agent into a host tissue as metallic ions, metallic particles or metallic compounds;

wherein the osseointegration agent has a silver concentration that exhibits homogeneity throughout the thickness of the surface coating; and

wherein the release of the antimicrobial metal agent into the host tissue is in the form of a burst release, a sustained release, or a combined burst and sustained release, and is at a concentration sufficient to have an anti-bacterial effect on the host tissue.

16. The medical implant of claim 15 , wherein the osseointegration agent comprises hydroxyapatite, β-tricalcium phosphate, or a mixture of both.

17. The medical implant of claim 15 , wherein the thickness of the surface coating is about 10 μm to about 200 μm.

18. The medical implant of claim 15 , wherein the osseointegration agent further includes at least one of the following, carbonate, fluoride, silicon, magnesium, strontium, vanadium, lithium, copper, or zinc.

19. A medical implant comprising an implant surface having a plasma sprayed surface coating, the surface coating comprising an antimicrobial metal agent and a silver-substituted osseointegration agent, the osseointegration agent having a homogenously distributed silver concentration of from about 0.5% to about 3.0% by weight throughout the surface coating;

wherein the surface coating has a thickness of from about 30 μm to about 100 μm and exhibits a tensile attachment strength to the implant surface of 15 MPa or greater; and

wherein the antimicrobial metal agent is discrete metallic silver particles having a diameter of from about 15 nm to about 10 μm, the silver particles being distributed throughout the thickness of the surface coating and exhibiting release kinetic characteristics that release the antimicrobial metal agent into a host tissue as metallic ions, metallic particles or metallic compounds.