Our bodies have evolved to be pretty good at dealing with incursions by foreign objects and bacteria. Usually, that's a positive thing, but it can spell trouble for medical devices, such as replacement joints, cardiac implants and dialysis machines, which increase the risk of blood clots and bacterial infection. Now researchers at Harvard University have developed a surface coating that smooths the way for medical devices to do their job inside the human body.
...The coating was developed from materials already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with the team claiming it repelled blood from more than 20 different substrates made from materials commonly used in medical devices, such as plastic, glass and metal. The coating also repelled bacteria and suppressed the formation of biofilm.
http://www.gizmag.com/slips-surface...ail&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-3b3921d1f1-91297037
Perhaps one day mechanical valves will be made from such coating, that no coumadin (warfarin) will be needed.
...The coating was developed from materials already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with the team claiming it repelled blood from more than 20 different substrates made from materials commonly used in medical devices, such as plastic, glass and metal. The coating also repelled bacteria and suppressed the formation of biofilm.
http://www.gizmag.com/slips-surface...ail&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-3b3921d1f1-91297037
Perhaps one day mechanical valves will be made from such coating, that no coumadin (warfarin) will be needed.