Improvement of stenting therapy with a silicon carbide coated tantalum stent

State of the art cardiovascular stent materials are a compromise between bulk properties and surface related properties. As a consequence, deficiencies in both characteristics lead to serious limitations of stenting therapy. Beside a dissatisfying X-ray visibility of current stent materials, which hinders precise angiographic control of the stent during implantation, insufficient hemocompatibility causes subacute vessel occlusions despite stringent anticoagulant medication. Additionally, bleeding complications result which further limit the therapeutical success. Therefore it is essential to develop a new coronary stent with improved material properties for the bulk of the stent and its surface. This is realized by a hybrid concept. The stent is manufactured from tantalum, having a high inherent radio-opacity. The stent is coated with amorphous silicon carbide, optimized for hemocompatibility. An appropriate deposition technology to maximize coating adhesion was developed. Amorphous silicon carbide was investigated in vitro and in vivo to assess its suitability for coronary stents.