Plasma-deposited tetraglyme surfaces greatly reduce total blood protein adsorption, contact activation, platelet adhesion, platelet procoagulant activity, and in vitro thrombus deposition.

The ability of tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (tetraglyme) plasma deposited coatings exhibiting ultralow fibrinogen adsorption to reduce blood activation was studied with six in vitro methods, namely fibrinogen and von Willebrand's factor adsorption, total protein adsorption, clotting time in recalcified plasma, platelet adhesion and procoagulant activity, and whole blood thrombosis in a disturbed flow catheter model. Surface plasmon resonance results showed that tetraglyme surfaces strongly resisted the adsorption of all proteins from human plasma. The clotting time in the presence of tetraglyme surfaces was lengthened compared with controls, indicating a lower activation of the intrinsic coagulation cascade. Platelet adhesion and thrombin generation by adherent platelets were greatly reduced on tetraglyme-coated materials, compared with uncoated and Biospan-coated glass slides. In the in vitro disturbed blood flow model, tetraglyme plasma coated catheters had 50% less thrombus than did the uncoated catheters. Tetraglyme-coated materials thus had greatly reduced blood interactions as measured with all six methods. The improved blood compatibility of plasma-deposited tetraglyme is thus not only due to their reduced platelet adhesion and activation, but also to a generalized reduction in blood interactions.