CHARACTERIZATION OF A TUBULAR FLOW CHAMBER FOR STUDYING PLATELET INTERACTION WITH BIOLOGIC AND PROSTHETIC MATERIALS - DEPOSITION OF IN-111 LABELED PLATELETS ON COLLAGEN, SUBENDOTHELIUM, AND EXPANDED POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE

  • 1 December 1987
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 110  (6) , 706-718
Abstract
A plastic (Plexiglas) chamber for evaluating platelet deposition under controlled hemodynamic conditions has been developed. The perfusion chamber has been designed to retain the cylindrical shape typical of the vasculature, to be flexible enough to accept a variety of biologica and prosthetic materials, and to simulate a broad range of physiologic flow conditions in either an ex vivo or in vitro perfusion system. Three type of surfaces were exposed to blood flowing directly from the carotid artery of a heparinized pig through the perfusion chamber: de-endothelialized pig aorta, collagen strips from rabbit Achilles tendon, and an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene material (Gore-Tex). Platelets, previously radiolabeled with indium 111 and injected into the animal, were quantified on the material surface, and the total number of deposited platelets determined for a range of blood flow rates (5 to 40 ml/min) and exposure times (0.5 to 20 minutes). The deposition rates were correlated with theory for describing the mass transport of platelets to the test surface. At the wall shear rates investigated (105 to 850 sec-1), the deposition of platelets on subendothelium was strongly dependent on the local flow conditions. Values of deposition on Gore-Tex obtained at similar flow conditions (105 to 425 sec-1) were reduced compared with that observed on subendothelium and showed a markedly weaker dependence on the shear rate. In contrast, deposition of platelets on collagen was more than an order of magnitude greater than on subendothelium and showed a dependence on flow only at the lowest flow rate studied (10 ml/min). The results indicate that collagen is much more reactive than subendothelium and Gore-Tex with respect to the growth and stability of platelet aggregates and more over suggest that flow mechanisms for depositing platelets on various surface may be substantially different.