Medical Device Coating Repels Bacteria

Any medical device implanted in the body or in contact with flowing blood faces two critical challenges that can threaten the life of the patient the device is meant to help: blood clotting and bacterial infection. But, a team of scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard, Boston, say they may have a solution. The researchers have developed a new surface coating for medical devices using FDA-approved materials. The coating not only repelled blood from more than 20 medically relevant substrates the team tested, but also suppressed biofilm formation. And, the team’s implanted medical-grade tubing and catheters coated with the material prevented blood from clotting for at least eight hours without the use of blood thinners such as heparin.