Hydrogel coatings for artificial heart implants

Polyurethanes (PU) are nowadays one of the most widely used types of polymers for biomedical applications. The segmented nature of these materials enables to obtain both flexibility and mechanical strength within the same material. However, there is a need to modify a surface of PU in order to produce highly hemocompatible materials that can be used in fabrication of permanent blood-contacting devices such as vascular implants, valves or hearts. Among many types of modifications, hydrogel coating appears to be very promising. Such modification increases the hydrophilicity of PU which in turn causes an increase in the bio- and hemocompatibility of the material. The aim of presented study was to create a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) hydrogel coating onto a surface of polyurethane. A possibility of using a free radical polymerization reaction was investigated. The obtained materials were analyzed in terms of durability, swelling ratio and contact angle. The FTIR-ATR analysis confirmed that polyurethane surfaces have been successfully coated with PVP.