Medical breakthrough could make devices that come into contact with blood safer: researchers

Researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have developed what is considered “an innovative coating” that could make safer medical devices.

For millions of patients, this could mean reducing the risk of thrombosis (or blood clot formation) and dangerous bleeding, according to a UBC news release.

The new material, which is designed for tubes in various medical devices, mimics the “natural behavior of blood vessels.”

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This allows for safer use of blood contact devicessuch as catheters, stents, blood oxygenation machines and dialysis machines, according to the statement.

Researchers spot the difference between a bare catheter and a coated one. (Kizhakkedathu Research Group)

The coating could be especially useful in cases where blood clots are a major concern.

Anticoagulants They are typically prescribed in high doses to prevent clots from forming in machine users, but this can increase the risk of dangerous bleeding, according to the university.

“Since almost all synthetic materials activate blood upon contact, this presents a huge challenge.”

“By designing a coating that mimics the body’s natural approach to preventing clots, we have created a solution that could dramatically reduce the need for risky blood thinners before and after patients use these devices,” the study author wrote in an email. electronic.

Dr. Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of British Columbia, shared with Fox News Digital that this discovery could be a “transformative step in the development of safer medical devices“.

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The research, published in the journal Nature Materials, confirmed that mimicking the body’s own mechanisms, rather than repelling blood components, is “key to the design of truly biocompatible devices,” according to Kizhakkedathu.

According to the researchers, the new coating is designed to mimic the function of blood vessels and acts as a “soft barrier” that attracts a key blood protein to prevent clotting. (iStock)

Kizhakkedathu mentioned that there has been a “steady increase” in the use of blood contact devices in recent decades, but noted that this has been limited by the risk of blood clots, which can be “harmful to the patients health“.

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“Since almost all synthetic materials activate blood upon contact, this presents a huge challenge,” he continued.

According to Kizhakkedathu, developing materials that can “inherently prevent coagulation activation” has been a long-term goal.

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“There are no effective methods to prevent thrombosis and inflammation in devices, and despite significant efforts, little progress has been made over several decades,” he continued.

“There is greater hope for creating highly improved medical devices where there is no longer a concern for thrombosis,” shared one researcher. (iStock)

“However, our chemical design allowed us to develop a non-toxic polycationic molecule and develop a surface that prevents blood clotting.”

Kizhakkedathu mentioned that this development is still in the early stages and needs more research in more challenging cases and among other animal models.

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“We hope this approach will also inspire and benefit other scientists in this field,” he told Fox News Digital.

“For the general public, there is greater hope of creating highly improved medical devices where the concern about thrombosis no longer exists.”