Roughness and thrombogenicity of the outer surfaces of intravascular catheters

Thirty-seven types of catheters made from plastics including silicone rubber, polyvinylchloride, polyethylene, and polyurethane were tested for thrombogenesis in the cephalic vein of sheep. The range in the mass of thrombus on the catheters at autopsy 9 days after insertion was 20-fold. There was considerable variation when catheters made from the same types of plastic were compared, but polyethylene catheters tended to be more thrombogenic than other types. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a variety of surfaces ranging from very smooth to very rough. Roughness was frequently associated with the presence of radioopaque particles which in several catheters were concentrated into radio-opaque tracer strips. Within types of plastics, catheters with rougher surfaces were usually more thrombogenic than those with smooth surfaces.