Polyurethanes, having extensive structure/property diversity, are one of the most bio- and blood-compatible materials known today. These materials played a major role in the development of many medical devices ranging from catheters to total artificial heart. Properties such as durability, elasticity, elastomer-like character, fatigue resistance, compliance, and acceptance or tolerance in the body during the healing, became often associated with polyurethanes. Furthermore, propensity for bulk and surface modification via hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance or by attachments of biologically active species such as anticoagulants or biorecognizable groups are possible via chemical groups typical for polyurethane structure. These modifications are designed to mediate and enhance the acceptance and healing of the device or implant. Many innovative processing technologies are used to fabricate functional devices, feeling and often behaving like natural tissue. The hydrolytically unstable polyester polyurethanes were replaced by more resistant but oxidation-sensitive polyether polyols based polyurethanes and their clones containing silicone and other modifying polymeric intermediates. Chronic in vivo instability, however, observed on prolonged implantation, became a major roadblock for many applications. Presently, utilization of more oxidation resistant polycarbonate polyols as soft segments, in combination with antioxidants such as Vitamin E, offer materials which can endure in the body for several years. The applications cover cardiovascular devices, artificial organs, tissue replacement and augmentation, performance enhancing coatings and many others. In situ polymerized, cross-linked systems could extend this biodurability even further. The future will expand this field by revisiting chemically-controlled biodegradation, in combination with a mini-version of RIM technology and minimally invasive surgical procedures, to form, in vivo, a scaffold, by delivery of reacting materials to the specific site in the body and polymerizing the mass in situ. This scaffold will provide anchor for tissue regeneration via cell attachment, proliferation, control of inflammation, and healing.

Polyurethanes are considered to be one of the most bio- and blood-compatible biomaterials known today. By intelligent utilization of principles governing the structure/property relationship of these polymers, one can generate systems which resemble, in principle, the physical-mechanical behavior of living tissue. Thus, it is not surprising that these materials played a major role in development of small caliber vascular grafts targeted for vascular access, peripheral and coronary artery bypass indications. Numerous technologies, often esoteric in nature, were and are utilized to generate porous, potentially multilayered conduits possessing some or many characteristics of natural blood vessels. Properties such as durability, elasticity, compliance, pulsatility, and propensity for healing became attainable via polyurethanes. Furthermore, additional surface and/or bulk modification via attachments of biologically active species such as anticoagulants, cell proliferation suppressants, anti-infective compounds or biorecognizable groups are possible due to reactive groups which are part of the polyurethane structure. These modifications are designed to control or mediate host acceptance and healing of the graft. Finally, a myriad of practical processing technologies are used to fabricate functional grafts. Among those, casting, electrostatic and wet spinning of fibers and monofilaments, extrusion, dip coating or spraying of mandrels with polymer/additive solutions are often coupled with chemical-potential-difference-driven coagulation and phase inversion leading to grafts feeling and often behaving like natural vessels. Historically, the first polyurethanes utilized were hydrolytically unstable polyester polyurethanes containing hydrolysis-prone polyester polyols as soft segments, followed by hydrolytically stable but oxidation sensitive polyether polyols based polyurethanes. Polyether-based polyurethanes and their clones containing silicone and other modifying polymeric intermediates represented significant progress. Many viable technologies were discovered and developed using polyether-based polyurethanes. Chronic in vivo instability observed on prolonged implantation became, however, a major roadblock. The path led finally to the use of hydrolytically and oxidatively stable polycarbonate polyols as the soft segment to generate biodurable materials with resistance to biodegradation adequate for vascular access or perhaps peripheral graft indications. This biodurability needs to be further increased in order to utilize the full potential of polyurethanes in development of patent small caliber graft. Modification of both the soft and hard segments needs to be considered in order to maximize biodurability of both basic building blocks of the polyurethane. This paper reviews the achievements, discusses trends, and offers the view of the future in this exciting area of material/device combination.

Vascular grafts, devices designed to augment inefficiently functioning vascular systems, represent a significant part of implantable medical devices, with major participation in over a million vascular surgeries performed worldwide. By definition accepted in the art, a small caliber graft is a conduit with internal diameter (ID) of 6 mm or less; large caliber grafts start at ID of 7 mm. While the autologous grafts utilizing saphenous veins (SVG) and internal iliac, or mammary arteries are used exclusively in cardiac artery bypass grafts (CABG) procedures and preferentially in many peripheral indications, and while the use of grafts with biological origin did not proliferate, polymer-based artificial grafts of controlled patterns and porosity are prostheses of choice for the large caliber. The polyester (PET) yarn is knitted or woven into various porous patterns. The PTFE tubes are expanded into porous conduits (ePTFE). Although these technologies are used to produce the grafts with ID larger than 6 mm, the dominant principles are being applied to the development of small caliber graft. Polyurethanes are also evaluated for small caliber application. The grafts (regardless of the ID) produced by the above technologies are porous. This porosity, considered to be critical for proper healing and overall graft patency, causes the blood to leak through the graft wall or at anastomosis through the suture holes. Both the wall leakage and suture hole bleeding remain rather serious drawbacks. Currently, collagen, gelatin, albumin and their derivatives are used as sealants. Various modes of application and degrees of crosslinking are utilized to control in vivo degradation and graft healing. Other hydrogels, both natural and synthetic, could play significant roles as sealants and modifiers of the graft performance. Enhancement of graft patency via improvement of initial hemocompatibility could be achieved by application of bioactive coatings. Heparinized systems seem to dominate in this field, but many new concepts are being investigated. Intraluminal endothelialization via mediating biologicals could open significant potential for synthetic small caliber grafts. Furthermore, porous biodegradable tubes could be used as temporary scaffold to attract and promote cell propagation and ingrowth, the true angiogenesis. Part I of this series discusses the "S.O.T.A" of the small caliber graft. The following parts will discuss concepts needed for development of truly patent small caliber grafts and will report on our progress in the development of biodurable and pulsatile grafts for vascular access, peripheral, and potentially for CABG indications.

SynopsisA series of polyether-based thermoplastic polyurethanes, varying in hard-segment content between 20 and 80 wt. %, was prepared using an (oxypropylene-oxyethylene) diol of mn = 2000 as the soft segment and 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate extended with 1,4-butanediol as the hard segment. Physical-mechanical, dynamic-mechanical, and specific heat (DSC) data are used to elucidate the mechanical and morphological behavior of these materials. The polyurethanes varied from soft elastomeric (continuous soft phase) to high-modulus plastic (continuous hard phase) and showed changes in their tensile properties a t about 60% hard-segment content, possibly due to phase inversion.