title: Pulmonary emboli from blood-biomaterial interaction.
abstract: The problem of surface thrombosis and subsequent embolization remains entrenched as a yet incompletely surmounted barrier to the development of truly satisfactory intravascular prosthetic devices. A baboon ex vivo shunt was used to determine the interaction of Indium-111 platelets and potential biomaterials. The uptake of Indium-111 platelets was monitored continuously by gamma camera scanning. Several of the materials tested demonstrated a saw-toothed pattern of platelet activity, with accumulation followed by rapid decline. Neither PTFE nor Dacron exhibited this pattern. Post shunt scans of the animals' chests showed discrete foci of platelet activity in the lungs, corresponding to each embolic event noted on the material's scan. In conclusion, the search for a smooth surface as a blood material interface may produce a material which accumulates and then sloughs significant platelet aggregates. It is crucial that these materials be subjected to vigorous testing to determine their safety prior to initiation of clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ramberg
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: McEnroe
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Connolly
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Callow
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001166:Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000502:physiology*; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000601:surgery; D005268:Femoral Vein / Q000601:surgery; D007205:Indium Radioisotopes; D008297:Male; D010215:Papio; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates / Q000009:adverse effects; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene / Q000009:adverse effects; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D007205:Indium Radioisotopes; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene