PROTEIN DEPOSITIONS ON ONE HYDROCEPHALUS SHUNT AND ON 15 TEMPORARY VENTRICULAR CATHETERS

Biomaterials are commonly used in modem medicine. Proteins are adsorbe d to the surface of the biomaterial immediately after insertion. This report demonstrates the presence of adsorbed proteins in one infected cerebrospinal shunt from a child with hydrocephalus and on fifteen tem porary ventricular catheters from adult patients with spontaneous or t raumatic brain injuries. Depositions of vitronectin, fibrinogen and th rombospondin-fibronectin to some extent - on the shunt surface was ima ged by field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Vitronectin, fibro nectin, fibrinogen, and thrombospondin on the ventricular catheters we re shown with radio-actively labelled antibodies. Furthermore, protein adsorption from human cerebrospinal fluid to heparinized and unhepari nized polymers was studied under flowing conditions in vitro. On hepar inized polymer, significantly reduced levels of vitronectin, fibronect in, and thrombospondin were exposed, as measured after 4 hours in vitr o perfusion. After 24 hours perfusion, the differences in protein expo sition between heparinized and unheparinized polymers were substantial ly reduced.