A typical problem, explain Wang and Tsai (both chemical engineering, National Taiwan U. of Science and Technology) is that hemostatic mechanisms induce platelets to adhere and activate on the surface of a vascular implant, causing a blood clot there and a depletion of platelets in the rest of the blood. They review efforts to coat implant material with biological anti-coagulants such as heparin, or anti-fouling molecules like polyethylene oxide. They cover the blood components involved in hemostasis and thrombosis, the common biomaterials applied in blood-contacting devices, complications induced by the interactions between them, and techniques for improving the hemocompatibility of biomaterials. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
