Cardiovascular medical devices (CMDs) are used to diagnose, prevent, and treat cardiovascular diseases. Common CMD implants include Pacemakers, cardioverter-defibrillators, VADs and more. One of the major challenges associated with these devices is corrosion and wear. Hydrophilic cardiovascular implant coatings are used to modify the surface properties of these devices. This helps eliminate these issues, extend device life, and improve patient safety.
Hydrophilic medical coatings applied on the surface of CMDs play a critical role in improving their performance, biocompatibility, and longevity. The primary purpose of cardiovascular implant coatings is to promote cell adhesion and proliferation. This is a quick guide discussing how the combination of material science and biological engineering has led to the development of high-performance and reliable medical implant coatings. We will cover what these coatings are, and how they can help improve CMDs.
Related: Read our in-depth guide on Hydrophilic Implant Coatings, where we cover the use of coatings for multiple types of implants.
Common Cardiovascular Medical Implants
As reported by the CDC, one person dies every 33 seconds from cardiovascular disease. It has become the major cause of death worldwide. CMDs (Cardiovascular Medical Devices) are used to diagnose and treat heart diseases and related health problems. By monitoring and treating irregular heartbeats, they are saving countless lives every year.
A few common cardiovascular medical implants are as follows:
- Heart Valves
- Coronary Stents
- Pacemakers
- Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD)
- Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT)
- Vascular Grafts
- Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)
- Total Artificial Heart (TAH)
Critical Functional Requirements of Medical Implants
There are a few critical considerations when developing medical implants designed to create favorable interactions between the material and the body. These include:
Biocompatibility:
CMD medical implants need to perform their intended operations without harming the biological system. They must be non-toxic and non-carcinogenic. In other words, they must be biocompatible.
Corrosion Resistance:
Implants are designed using stainless steel, cobalt-chromium alloys, and titanium. They are continuously exposed to corrosive and dynamic biological environments. They need to maintain their integrity and functionality over an extended period. And they must do it in the presence of an electromechanical environment of blood and various ions.
Durability:
A few cardio medical devices, including stents and pacemakers, must withstand various mechanical stresses. In addition they must withstand cyclical loads during normal functioning. The high strength and durability of medical implants is necessary to ensure safety, performance, and longevity.
Minimized Risk of Infections:
Contamination of medical devices and surgical instruments is a very real concern. It is the leading cause of healthcare-associated infections (HIAs). As a result, it leads to more illness, longer hospital stays, and higher healthcare costs. Coatings, such as Hydromer® specialized antimicrobial coatings stop microbes from sticking to and growing on cardiovascular devices.
Longevity:
Implants need to be highly durable. This is especially true for devices inserted in high-motion areas, such as pacemakers and artificial joints. An implant’s required lifetime will depend upon the operational requirements and their location in the human body. And while it is inevitable that the devices need to be replaced after a certain period of time, extending that time is extremely beneficial. It reduces the amount of times the device needs to be replaced. As a result, it can help reduce the number of surgeries and healthcare costs.
6 Common Types of Medical Implant Coatings
Medical implants must support the natural physiological processes while improving protein absorption, cell adhesion, and proliferation. The materials of devices are usually not suitable by themselves. This is where hydrophilic, cardiovascular Implant coatings coatings play a critical role. These surface treatment coatings help modify the surface of the actual devices. They make them more functional and more suitable for use in the human body.
Below we list some of the most common medical device coatings used on CMDs and other medical implants. Medical coatings may provide a single function. However, advanced medical device coatings, such as hydrophilic medical coatings by Hydromer, Inc. provide multiple functions in a single coating.
1. Biocompatible Coatings
Medical implants span from simple dental implants to complex cardiovascular devices. They must all be biocompatible before being placed in the human body.
In the medical device industry, a biocompatible coating is used as a specialized surface modification on the surface of the device. These coatings promote interactions between the device and biological system (mainly including tissues and fluids). And they do this without causing any harm to the human body.
As a result, they play a crucial role in the safety of medical implants. Their performance is affected by body pH levels, enzymes, and mechanical stress on the implant. And the coating needs to work seamlessly with the environment.
PEBAX is one of the commonly used materials for manufacturing such high-performance cardiovascular implant coatings coatings.
Explore Hydromer’s highly customizable series of biocompatible medical device coatings.
2. Bioactive Coatings
Bioactive coatings, including hydroxyapatite, boost bone integration and osteoblast activity. This specialized surface formulation technique is where bioactive molecules such as growth factors and proteins are applied to the substrate’s surface. Their primary purpose is to create a strong bond between the medical device and the surrounding tissues. It helps cells stick together over a desired period.
Some examples of bioactive cardiovascular implant coatings include:
- Calcium phosphate coatings, which promote bone integration
- Biomimetic coatings mimic the structure and properties of natural tissues
Learn more about Hydromer Cell-Growth Enhancing Coatings
3. Antimicrobial Coatings
Healthcare-associated infections (HIAs) or surgical site infections (SSIs) may develop between 48 hours and 30 days after surgery. This is largely due to contamination of medical implants and surgical instruments.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, more than 3.2 million EU patients are affected by HIAs annually. The study shows that infections are one of the major complications in orthopedic, dental, and cardiovascular procedures. These infections and underlying illnesses lead to longer hospital stays and higher healthcare costs.
As a result, the use of antibacterial or antimicrobial coatings has increased over the last few years. They prevent the growth of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. In turn, they help to lower the risk of infections post-surgery.
4. Lubricious Hydrophilic Coatings
Hydrophilic medical device coatings are used for all the coating types listed here. But they also provide additional functionalities. One of the largest is lubricity and reduced friction. Hydrophilic coatings provide a low coefficient of friction. Their main purpose is to make the medical device surface “water-loving,” reduce friction and increase lubricity.
They are known as “slippery-when-wet” surface modifications. And they are essential for medical devices, such as tubes, catheters, and guide wires. When applied to implants inserted in high-motion areas, hydrophilic coatings aid the movement while preventing potential damage to surrounding tissues.
Hydromer® is a leading manufacturer and supplier of high-performance hydrophilic medical device coatings. Our decades of experience means we can formulate custom coatings with specific properties and functionality for our clients.
5. Drug-Eluting Coatings
Drug-eluting coatings slowly release therapeutic agents over an extended period. This helps to reduce restenosis, which narrows blood vessels after surgical treatment. They have the ability to encapsulate active pharmaceutical ingredients and control the release kinetics. This makes them perfect for medical devices such as stents and balloons.
The key to success is the careful selection of the drug and the polymeric matrix. Some recent, advanced drug-eluting coatings use nanotechnology and biodegradable materials to enhance the safety and effectiveness of the medical implant.
6. Antithrombogenic Coatings
Thrombosis (blood clotting) is another major complication in cardiovascular procedures. It leads to serious health issues such as atrial fibrillation, strokes, and heart attacks. The problem becomes more severe when the medical implant is in constant contact with blood.
Antithrombogenic coatings aim to inhibit platelet activation and aggregation. Such coatings can improve patient safety in the long run. They do this by preventing blood from adhering to the surface of a medical implant.
These antithrombotic surface modifications can be created using anticoagulants such as heparin. Alternatively, devices can use hydrophilic thromboresistant coatings that are “slippery-when-wet”. Hydrophilic medical coatings can reduce blood clotting by reducing the adherence of blood to the device surface.
Read more about the importance and benefits of thromboresistant coatings.
Hydromer® Multifunctional Medical Device Coatings
Hydromer® is a leading hydrophilic medical device coating manufacturer. Our company has 40+ years of experience manufacturing and supplying clinically proven medical implant coatings to OEM customers worldwide. We aim to allow our clients to focus on their core strengths and help them quickly bring advanced products to market.
Our coatings are highly customizable. We understand the FDA, ISO, and other medical regulations worldwide. The high-performance hydrophilic coatings by Hydromer possess highly sought-after performance attributes such as:
- Antimicrobial
- Drug-eluting capabilities
- Wettability
- Biocompatibility
- Excellent lubricity (reduced device friction)
- Low particulate
- Enhanced adhesion
- Thromboresistance to reduce blood clotting
- Durability
- Compatibility with a wide range of medical devices
In addition, our medical device coatings work with a very large range of substrates. The substrates we can coat include, but are not limited to the following:
- Chronoflex
- Chronoprene
- Dynaflex
- Grilamid
- HDPE
- Latex
- NiTi alloys
- Nylon
- PEBAX
- Polypropylene
- Polyurethane
- Polyurethane TPU
- PTFE
- PVC
- Silicone
- Stainless Steel
Get In Touch
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So, no matter where you are in the product life cycle, you will get a partner to help develop a solution. We offer the following contract services to our customers:
- In-house contract coating services
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- Specialized Analytical Testing
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