Plasma Gas Discharge Deposited Fluorocarbon Polymers Exhibit Reduced Elutability of Adsorbed Albumin and Fibrinogen

The adsorption and subsequent detergent elutability of fibrinogen and albumin were measured on various treated and untreated polymer films in order to determine whether the relative adsorption of these proteins was responsible for the enhanced thromboresistance of Dacron vascular grafts treated with tetrafluoroethylene in a radio frequency glow discharge (RFGD) apparatus. Fluorocarbon-coated surfaces varying in the relative proportions of CF, CF2, and CF3 groups and in the ratio of fluorine to carbon were prepared by RFGD treatment of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films with tetrafluoroethylene or perfluoropropane. The adsorption of fibrinogen and albumin to these fluorocarbon-coated surfaces was comparable to the adsorption of the proteins to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and PET. However, the elutability of fibrinogen and albumin from the RFGD fluorocarbon surfaces with sodium dodecyl sulfate was much lower than that from PTFE or PET. Other RFGD treatments of PET, such as ethylene deposition or argon etching, did not reduce the extent of albumin elutability as dramatically as did the RFGD fluorocarbon treatments. The strong albumin binding to RFGD fluorocarbon surfaces may be exploited clinically to enhance the retention of albumin preadsorbed to blood-contacting surfaces to render them thromboresistant.