Memory metal has been utilised in orthopaedic surgery as a fixation device for osteotomies, typically around the foot and ankle.

The external fixation device is removed after an appropriate time period.

There are a variety of fixation devices available, particularly for hamstring tendon fixation.

In yesterday's somber release, Richardson laid out the risks of the external skeletal fixation device, namely that the bones bearing the weight could fracture.

Alternatively, intramedullary fixation devices (within the medullary canal) can be implanted to support the fracture during healing.

It is usually not necessary to remove an internal fixation device unless it causes problems.

Ilizarov used external fixation devices on patients to treat non-unions in the 1950s.

"The major risk of the external skeletal fixation device is that the bone bearing the weight can fracture," Richardson said in the statement.

The illustration depicts a spinal fixation device.

Küntscher invented what is known as the Küntscher nail, an internal fixation device used to maintain the position of the fracture fragments during healing.