Modified blood-contacting polymers

New blood-contacting materials have been synthesized via graft copolymerization of a mixture of a hydrophilic monomer and the macromonomers hirudin and ovomucoid onto a synthetic polymer, either polyethylene, poly(ethylene terephthalate), or polydimethylsiloxane. It has been shown that the surface modification of the polymer via grafting of the hydrophilic monomer alone reduces the degree of denaturation of adsorbed proteins and that the introduction of hirudin and ovomucoid into the hydrophilic layer leads to a decrease in the amount of platelets adhering to the polymer surface and an increase in the clotting time on the polymer surface.