Franco Vallana

Carbofilm ™: Present and future applications in biomedical devices

Abstract Carbofilm is a thin film of pyrolytic carbon that can be deposited on materials, such as polymers and metals, suitable for implantable-prosthesis production. In this way, the coated material acquires the well-known biocompatibility characteristics of pyrolytic carbon. In critical applications such as heart-valve prostheses, the Carbofilm coating has proved to be effective in reducing those blood and tissue reactions that can negatively affect the implanted prosthesis functionality. Carbofilm can be applied on different biomedical devices in order to improve their biocompatibility: a summary of experimental results obtained with vascular grafts, plastic-surgery devices, and orthopaedic and maxillofacial prostheses will be reported. In particular, the most recent results concerning the osteocompatibility of titanium-alloy coated and uncoated samples will be presented: Carbofilm-coated cylinders implanted in the cubital bone of sheep, histologically evaluated at three and twelve months, showed a better biological response (lower osteoclastic erosion and connective-tissue formation) than uncoated ones.