84. The anticlot properties of graphite coatings on artificial heart valves

✍ Scribed by Vincent L Gott; James D Whiffen; Robert C Dutton; Donald E Koepke; Ronald L Daggett; William P Young

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1964
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 140 KB
• Volume: 1
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-6223
• DOI: 10.1016/0008-6223(64)90374-4

✦ Synopsis

At the present time clotting is the most common cause of failure of artificial heart valves in the experimental animal. This complication usually leads to death in 95% of animals within 2 weeks after valve placement. The problem on clotting of prosthetic valves is not as severe in humans as in dogs but still remains as a very significant factor. The authors have evaluated a number of plastics, and coatings in the canine animal in an attempt to find a satisfactory clot repelling material. Of all substances tested, a colloidal graphite coating has given overwhelmingly better results than in any other of the coatings or polymers. This includes a comparison with a silicone coating which until the present time has been considered the best anticlot surface available. The authors feel that the clot repelling properties of colloidal graphite are related to its negative zeta potential, non-wettability, lubricity, chemical inertness, and most important of all, its ability to firmly bind the anti-coagulent heparin to its surface. The authors will present data from this laboratory on the foregoing physical-chemical properties of colloidal graphite as related to its anticlot properties. Several types of colloidal graphite have been studied and the data on these coatings will be compared with that obtained on other non-graphite surfaces.