Non-thromogenic vascular prosthesis

Abstract

The present invention provides vascular prostheses free of any substance that counteracts an anticoagulant comprising a base material, the base material having inner and outer surfaces, wherein the outer surface has a layer of a material capable of reducing the porosity of said prosthesis to blood or body fluid and a coating of compounded heparin bound thereon, and the inner surface has a coating of compounded heparin bound thereon, the compounded heparin comprising heparin and a cationic surfactant. The present invention also provides a method for forming a vascular prosthesis. The vascular prostheses of the present invention exhibit low porosity at the time of implantation of the prosthesis thereby obviating the need for pre-clotting the prosthesis to avoid leakage or hemorrhaging of blood through the prosthesis. The compounded heparin coating of the vascular prostheses of the invention prevents or slows down blood clotting which leads to the build up of natural tissue within the interstitial spaces of the prosthesis and the build-up of a thin, even, well-defined and well-adhered pseudo-intima on the inner surface of the prosthesis.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.