Medical Device Coatings: A Medical Breakthrough

Article written by FrgNews

Advanced medical technology has led to new device coatings.

Medical breakthroughs have led to more advanced coatings being produced for medical devices. These advanced coatings have come such a long way that they can potentially prolong or even save an individual’s life. The importance of medical device coatings is dependent on the quality of which they are produced.

Challenges

There are various challenges that doctors face when implanting a medical device inside of a human body. One is that blood clotting can occur from a foreign substance being introduced, and the second is that there can be a bacterial infection that occurs. Both are life-threatening and both have the ability to kill.

Minimization of Risk

With the introduction of advanced medical coatings, these risks can be minimized and even avoided. Blood clots have been one of the primary side effects of an invasive procedure primarily due to red blood cells not being able to recognize the foreign object. In order for this effect to be countered, a blood thinner, such as heparin, is used. This not only increases the level of risk due to excessive bleeding but it also places the patient in danger of heart failure.

The Result

Advanced medical device coatings have been created where the device can enter the body without it triggering the coagulation of red blood cells – and without using a blood thinner. Using deposition hardware models such as sputtering systems, advanced coatings are constantly being produced and implemented in today’s surgical procedures. This is only the beginning for medical coatings as continuous clinical trials are being performed today in the hopes that there will be lesser medical risks associated with these invasive procedures.