Investigating the Hemocompatibility of Blood-Contacting Biomaterials

Surface-associated thrombosis is a critical concern in medical device development. Current extracorporeal circulation units require systemic anticoagulation to avoid thrombosis, which can cause adverse effects such as thrombocytopenia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hyperkalemia. To address this issue, we combine the technology of polydopamine (PDA) functionalization with slippery liquid infused porous surfaces (SLIPS). PDA readily coats a wide variety of surfaces and can be functionalized via Michael Addition. We functionalized PDA with a thiolated fluoropolymer to form a pseudo self-assembled monolayer (pSAM) that serves as the porous surface component of SLIPS, then added liquid perfluorodecalin to complete the SLIPS coating. We hypothesized that the PDA SLIPS coating provides enhanced hemocompatibility due to its omniphobic properties and composition of compounds currently used in medical applications. The coatings were evaluated for thrombogenicity via quantification of Factor XII (FXII) activation, fibrin formation, and platelet adhesion. In addition to these static test methods, we are developing a flow model to investigate the effect of surface modifications under physiological flow conditions