Adherence of Staphylococcus aureus to Dyneema Purity(®) Patches and to Clinically Used Cardiovascular Prostheses

Various materials that are used for vascular and heart valve prostheses carry drawbacks: some require anticoagulant drugs or have moderate durability; others are not suitable for endovascular treatment. These prostheses are associated with bacterial infections. A material potentially suitable for prostheses is Dyneema Purity(®), made of ultra—high-molecular-weight polyethylene. Dyneema Purity(®) fibers are very thin, flexible, resistant to fatigue and abrasion, and have high strength. S. aureus adherence to Dyneema Purity(®) was tested and compared with currently used cardiovascular prostheses. We compared adhesion of S. aureus to Dyneema Purity(®) (1 membrane-based and 1 yarn-composed patch) with 5 clinically used yarn-composed polyester and membrane-based expanded polytetrafluoroethylene patches. Patches were contaminated with S. aureus bacteria and bacterial adherence was quantified. S. aureus adherence was also visualized in flow conditions. Overall, bacterial adherence was higher on yarn-composed prosthesis materials, with a rough surface, than on the membrane-based materials, with a smooth surface. Adherence to Dyneema Purity(®) materials was non-inferior to the currently used materials. Therefore, patches of Dyneema Purity(®) might be attractive for use in cardiovascular applications such as catheter-based heart valves and endovascular prostheses by their good mechanical properties combined with their noninferiority regarding bacterial adhesion.