Development of an Innovative Surgical Suture Material That Prevents the Formation of Arterial Thrombosis

One of the most serious complications after surgical interventions on the arteries of the lower extremities is thrombosis of the vascular prosthesis. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to protect the patient from contact with the surgical thread with flowing blood, which makes the location of the surgical operation a focus of thrombosis. The purpose of this scientific study is to evaluate the possibility of modifying the surface of a polypropylene thread with heparin using chemical inoculation in order to increase the thromboresistant properties of the suture material. To do this, a polyhydroxybutyrate/oxivalerate copolymer and a heparin solution were applied to the surface of the polypropylene filament. An additional sublayer of polymethacrylyl chloride contributed to the strong inoculation of heparin to the polymer. The polymer substrate reacted with heparin to form strong covalent ester bonds. Applying a thin and uniform layer of polyhydroxybutyrate/oxivalerate to the thread with a thickness of no more than 4 microns makes its surface smooth. After chemical modification and application of heparin to the surface of the thread, it acquired a uniform spongy structure, due to the formation of a new polymer layer with firmly grafted heparin. Thus, it is possible to create a bio- and hemocompatible coating based on a biodegradable polymer and heparin on the surface of a polypropylene thread.