New Coating Techniques Beneficial for Medical Devices

Alex D'Souza, Medical Tech Outlook | Friday, April 23, 2021

Laser treatments and micro-blasting techniques are ways to offer effective bioactive coatings for implantable devices.

FREMONT, CA:- In the healthcare industry, implanted medical devices have become a daily feature of life-saving treatment. The usage of heart valves, vascular grafts and stents, and several other essential support systems for the body is widespread and continues to restore physical function in many patients each day. The performance of these devices is vital. Anything that is put inside a human body brings some risks with it. If a device does not function to its optimum level or harms the body in any way, there could be a risk to health and survival. The coatings applied to devices to reduce potential health risks, secure the body, or enhance the body’s acceptance of a foreign object is as important as the design of the device itself.

Bioactive coatings can improve the body’s acceptance of an implanted device and could have a positive effect on the device’s potential to function properly for longer. For various devices in contact with the blood, comprising stents and central venous access catheters that stay in place for weeks, months, or years, there is a risk of failure because of the body’s response to the implant. Replacing objects that are compromised by clots or inflammation of the body’s tissues is an option. The search for cost-efficiency has fuelled research into coatings that can counteract the body’s natural responses. The hurdle is to find a method of depositing a thin film of bioactive compounds onto devices that will remain stable and effective over a longer period.

Various techniques have been tested, some with limited success, but the potential to have bioactive substances of drug treatments in a device’s coating has enhanced significantly over time. A growing number of devices have successful bioactive coatings that can counteract inflammatory responses, help maintain surrounding tissue, prevent blood clots or have antimicrobial impacts.

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