Woven polyester vascular stent-grafts with surface modification of chitosan/heparin

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common vascular disease that has attracted widespread attention due to its characteristic of being asymptomatic and high mortality rate. In this study, we present a novel woven vascular stent-graft, which can improve thrombus formation resulting from excessive smooth muscle cell proliferation following blood vessel stent implantation. To achieve this, we adopted the orthogonal design method to optimize the production process parameters and then coated the surface of the woven stent with chitosan/heparin using a layer-by-layer self-assembly technique based on the electrostatic binding principle, and the performance of the stent before and after modification was comprehensively evaluated. The results demonstrated that the coating had no impact on the mechanical properties, wall thickness, and cross-sectional water permeability of the membranes. Remarkably, the release rate of heparin reached as high as 90.88% at 216 h, effectively inhibiting the growth of smooth muscle cells. In conclusion, the new woven polyester vascular stent-graft provides a potential application prospect for the treatment of AAA.