In vivo study of Ti–O thin film fabricated by PIII

Over the past decade, much attention has been paid to anti-thrombotic materials applied in artificial organs. Surface modification has shown potential to improve the anti-coagulation of blood-contacting biomedical devices and materials [1–3]. Our in vitro study of Ti–O thin films has recently shown that Ti–O thin films possess superior blood compatibility to low temperature isotropic pyrolytic carbon (LTI-carbon) [1]. In this work, we have focussed our attention onto the in vivo evaluation of Ti–O thin films fabricated by plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII). The samples of titanium coated by Ti–O thin films were implanted in dogs’ hearts for 1 month. The results of the implantation showed that no thrombus was found on the surfaces of the Ti–O thin film, although the coagulation occurred on the surfaces of LTI-carbon.