Haemocompatibility, What Does It Mean?

Abstract

The greatest problem encountered when foreign materials are inserted into the blood is usually the rapid formation of visual thrombus material on the foreign surface. Much has been done to prevent this formation including extensive research on surface properties, interface phenomena and efforts to mimic the natural thrombolytic mechanisms of the body. Nevertheless, the fact that one third of the population in the Western world eventually succumb to vascular diseases indicates that even natures own haemocompatibility and repair processes fall short with time and show us that haemocompatibility is always a time limited feature.