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Slippery Implants
23 October 2014

Slippery Implants

This is a super close-up snapshot of blood cells coagulating to form a clot. Unfortunately, clotting often occurs around implanted medical devices like catheters and hip replacements. Microbes also like to gather on these devices, sometimes resulting in bacterial infections. Now, though, researchers have created a special surface coating for medical implants that gives bacteria and blood cells the slip. Inspired by the slick surfaces on carnivorous pitcher plants, the coating features two layers of Teflon-like chemicals called fluorocarbons. Pretty much nothing can stick to the liquid top layer. When coated catheters were implanted into blood vessels in pigs, clotting was prevented for eight hours. What’s more, just one in every billion bacterial cells was able to adhere to coated medical tubing. The invention could potentially reduce the use of blood-thinning drugs, which can have nasty side effects, and lead to fewer infections in patients with medical implants.

Written by Daniel Cossins

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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