Sorin Biomedica S.p.a.

Marco Santi

Franco Vallana

Pietro Arru

Stefano Rinaldi

There are disclosed devices for conditioning a blood flow which include at least one element with portions which are exposed to the blood and are deformable cyclically at a frequency comparable to the frequency of the heartbeat, in which the cyclically deformable portions have a continuous coating of biocompatible carbonaceous material comprised of carbon crystals having a density of greater than 2.1 grams per cubic centimeter applied by sputtering directly on and completely covering at least those portions of the device which are exposed to the blood.

Cyclically deformable haemocompatible and biocompatible devices coated

A prosthetic device which includes a turbostratic biocompatible carbon film firmly adherent to a substrate and having a density of at least 2.1 g/cm.sup.3. The carbon preferably is very thin, e.g. , less than about one micron. The thin carbon biocompatible film covers at least that portion of the substrate which will be in contact with body tissue and/or fluids to insure against physiological rejection and degradation of the prosthetic device. The carbon can be deposited on a variety of substrates, including low temperature substrates, in situ, without adversely affecting the mechanical properties of the substrate. The prosthetic device of the invention is formed by triode sputtering vacuum deposition at a relatively low temperature to achieve the desired results with respect to the deposited carbon and the substrate and with respect to the required adherence therebetween.

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Settimo Torinese, Italy

Marco Santi