Every blood-contacting medical device immediately triggers a complex biochemical cascade. Fibrin deposition, platelet adhesion and activation, and inflammatory responses, setting the stage for both acute thrombosis and long-term complications. For implantable and long-dwelling devices, the surface chemistry and texture serve as the critical first line interaction modulating subsequent thromboembolic event sequelae, The thromboembolic event scan result in device failure or other serious adverse events. The wrong coating decision ultimately manifests as device failure, regulatory setbacks, or both.
Surface-induced clot formation remains a leading cause of device failure and patient complication in blood-contacting applications.
Surface-induced inflammatory responses may activate complement pathways, promoting thrombosis through platelet adhesion and fibrin formation which can compromise device performance.
Animal-derived materials such as porcine heparin demand careful sourcing and a more complex regulatory pathway.
Surmodics offers a complete hemocompatible coating portfolio, with both heparin and non-heparin options engineered to fit the clinical use profile of the device. Heparin coatings directly inhibit thrombus formation at the surface by actively preventing fibrin formation in the coagulation cascade. Non-heparin coatings work by non-specifically reducing culprit protein adsorption/activation and platelet adhesion. Each coating solution is supported by deep regulatory experience, biocompatibility data and proven engineering capability to integrate hemocompatible chemistry with hydrophilic lubricity performance on the same device.
Reduced fibrin deposition demonstrated in preclinical models for improved hemocompatibility.*
Surface chemistries designed to minimize inflammatory response and support controlled healing.*
Durable surface technologies engineered for demanding, high-risk, and long-dwelling applications.
Hemocompatible and hydrophilic coating systems delivered through a single, validated surface solution.
The right hemocompatible coating depends on the device, its dwell time, its anatomy, and its regulatory pathway. Surmodics develops both heparin-based systems and multiple non-heparin systems, each tunable to the substrate, geometry, and clinical use profile of the device.
Heparin chemistry that inhibits thrombin formation at the surface
Heparin is covalently bound to the device surface, where it directly inhibits the thrombin cascade and reduces fibrin deposition at the blood-device interface. Heparin coatings carry a long, well-established history of clinical and regulatory use across multiple device categories, with the tradeoff of additional sourcing and testing rigor due to their animal-derived origin.
Built For
Synthetic surface chemistry that reduces culprit protein adsorption and platelet adhesion
Non-heparin hemocompatible coatings achieve hemocompatibility through surface chemistry eliciting multiple mechanisms, e.g., tight binding of water molecule, passivation via preferential binding of Albumin. Engineered surface chemistry reduces the adsorption of culprit proteins and adhesion of platelets at the device interface without introducing a pharmacological agent. Non-heparin systems offer a simplified regulatory pathway and a synthetic material profile, with proven performance on short-term blood-contacting devices.
Built For
Lubricity plus thrombus prevention on the same device
Surmodics hemocompatible chemistry can be layered with hydrophilic coatings on the same device, allowing manufacturers to deliver lubricious access and surface hemocompatibility in a single integrated coating system. This is particularly valuable for catheters and access devices that need to track through tortuous anatomy and dwell in the vasculature.
Primary mechanism. Heparin coatings directly inhibit thrombin formation by interacting with biochemical pathway, providing an anticoagulant effect. Non-heparin hemocompatible coatings work by reducing culprit protein adsorption and platelet adhesion/activation, thereby lowering thrombogenicity without surface anticoagulation.
Risk Profile
Duration of Effect
Regulatory Pathway
Surmodics hemocompatible coatings are used across the categories where surface biocompatibility most directly shapes device performance outcomes.
Flow diverters, intracranial stents, Embolic protection devices, hydrocephalic shunts, and stroke treatment systems.
Left atrial appendage devices, septal defect devices, percutaneous heart valves, defect repair delivery systems, and intravascular catheters.
CRT leads and pacemaker leads where local anti-inflammatory, or anti-fibrotic delivery supports long-term performance.
Venous stents, endovascular graft systems, peripheral stent delivery catheters.
Chest wound drainage systems and other blood-contacting applications.
Implantable sensors and continuous monitoring devices where surface biocompatibility shapes signal integrity and device longevity.
Heparin or non-heparin. Short-dwell or implantable. Animal-derived or synthetic. Each path carries its own clinical, regulatory, and manufacturing implications. The companies that get hemocompatibility right are the ones who treat the coating choice as a strategic decision that ties to the device's clinical profile and its regulatory pathway, not as a finishing-step specification.
This is why Surmodics engages at the feasibility stage. Decisions made early in development shape what is possible in validation, what is defensible in regulatory submission, and what is durable in long-term use. The coating system that fits the device is rarely the one that came up first in the conversation. It is the one that emerged from a structured evaluation of clinical use, dwell time, substrate, and regulatory pathway.
Quality indicators for blood-contacting devices include biocompatibility, coating durability, and surface characterization. Surmodics partners with clients to satisfy these requirements through structured studies on every commercial reagent, animal-derived material sourcing oversight, and the regulatory experience to navigate the additional submission requirements that apply to heparin-based coatings.
Hemocompatible coatings are only part of the answer. The companies that bring better devices to market faster are the ones working with a partner that brings surface chemistry, regulatory experience, and manufacturing scale to the same conversation.
Active heparin and passive synthetic coatings, plus layered hemocompatible and hydrophilic systems, developed and validated against demanding clinical use profiles.
Coating science engaged from feasibility through post-launch support, with the regulatory and quality infrastructure to back every phase.
Active or passive chemistry, single-coat or dual-coat construction, technology transfer or contract manufacturing, calibrated to where you are in the program.
High-capacity manufacturing, deep regulatory pedigree, and almost 50 years of operational maturity behind every program.
Whether you are evaluating active versus passive options at feasibility, preparing biocompatibility documentation for regulatory submission, or scaling toward commercial launch, Surmodics is built to engage at any stage of the program.
*Data on file
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