Heparin-coated angiographic catheters: an in vivo comparison of three coating methods with different heparin release profiles

We evaluated in vivo anti-thrombogenic effects of three different heparin-coated angiographic catheters with different heparin release profiles. Three different types of heparin-coated 5 French angiographic catheters (rapidly-heparin-releasing, slowly-heparin-releasing, and heparin-adherent catheters) were prepared by coating amphiphilic or hydrophobic heparin derivatives in order to regulate heparin elution. After incubation time of 30 minutes in the arteries of dogs, the amount of thrombus deposition, measured as dry weight, was compared in 10 sets of the three heparin-coated catheters and a non-coated catheter used as control. The surface morphology of catheters after their withdrawal was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The amount of thrombus deposition on the non-coated catheter (374.6 +/- 11.6 mg, mean +/- SD) was significantly larger than those on the rapidly-heparin-releasing (52.0 +/- 12.6), slowly-heparin-releasing (70.4 +/- 23.1), and heparin-adherent catheters (103.7 +/- 39.9) ( p < 0.001, each). The thrombus weights in the three heparin-coated catheters were not statistically different. The scanning electron microscopy showed crusts on the catheter surface, which were thickest in the non-coated catheters. We concluded that the thrombus formation inside a catheter is significantly decreased if the catheter is treated with any of the three heparin-coating methods used in this study. The in vivo anti-thrombogenic effects of these coating methods are not significantly different despite their different heparin release profiles.