Infection,
thrombosis, and
stenosis are among the most frequent complications associated with blood contacting
catheters. Because these problems are usually related to surface properties of the base
catheter material, surface treatment processes, such as ion implantation and ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) (
silver based coatings), can be used to mitigate such complications. Because these ion beam based processes affect only the near-surface region (approximately the outer 1 microm), there is little effect on bulk material properties. This study evaluated
silver coated and implanted large bore
catheters used for extracorporeal detoxification. In a 186 patient prospective study, 225 large bore
catheters were inserted into the internal jugular or subclavian veins. 85 surface treated
catheters (Spi-Argent, Spire Corporation, Bedford, MA-USA; n=39 acute
catheters, n= 46 long-term
catheters) and 28
catheters with surface treatment (Spi-
Silicone, Spire Corporation, Bedford, MA-USA) were inserted in 90 patients. 112 untreated
catheters placed in 96 patients served as controls (n = 62 acute
catheters, n = 58 long-term
catheters). After removal, the
catheters were cultured for bacterial colonization using standard microbiologic assays. They also were examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Bacterial colonization was observed in 8% of the treated
catheters compared with 46.4% of untreated
catheters. The SEM investigations showed all treated
catheters to possess low thrombogenicity. Results of the study indicate that ion beam based processes can be used to improve
thrombus and
infection resistance of blood contacting
catheters.