Enhancing thromboresistance of neurovascular nickel-titanium devices with responsive heparin hydrogel coatings.

Heparin hydrogel coatings offer promising benefits for enhancing the hemocompatibility of neurointerventional devices made of self-expanding nickel-titanium alloy. The variance in performance between in vitro and in vivo settings may be attributed to differences in low- and high-shear blood flow conditions inherent to these models. These models may represent the differences in venous and arterial systems. Further optimization is warranted to tailor the hydrogel coatings for improved efficacy in arterial applications.