SABIC Innovative Plastics PC resin helps healthcare devices

New hemodialysis blood pump from Renal Solutions features a polycarbonate resin from SABIC Innovative Plastics that helps the mechanical and physical needs of the device.

A hemodialysis blood pump from Renal Solutions, Inc., featuring SABIC Innovative Plastics’ advanced hemocompatibility polycarbonate (PC) resin, is helping meet demands for new and innovative healthcare devices. The patented Pulsar™ blood pump made with Lexan* HPM resins helps prevent buildup of thrombus on the pump’s walls that could potentially interfere with the effectiveness of treatments. SABIC Innovative Plastics is exhibiting the Pulsar blood pump here at MD&M West 2008 in booth 2105.

Renal Solutions worked closely with SABIC Innovative Plastics to identify a material that met the mechanical and physical needs for the blood pump’s optimum hemodynamic filling design while offering enhanced blood-contact properties. Lexan HPM resin’s improved performance vs. standard PC allows the Pulsar pump to benefit from reduced platelet and fibrinogen binding characteristics, as well as reduced leukocyte and C3a protein activation, resulting in reductions in overall clotting.

In contrast to traditional peristaltic (roller) pumps that use compression to squeeze blood through the dialyzer, the pressure-limited Pulsar pump alternately applies positive and negative pressure to a flexible membrane within each pumping chamber, thereby reducing pressures at the patient’s access site during circuit occlusions. The Pulsar pump’s design also makes it easy to convert to single-needle application by simply selecting single-needle mode on the graphical user interface, a process that is cumbersome and difficult in traditional peristaltic (roller) pump designs.

“SABIC Innovative Plastics’ commitment to bringing high-performance materials to the healthcare industry is stronger than ever, as shown by our relationship with Renal Solutions,” said Clare Frissora, market director for Healthcare, SABIC Innovative Plastics. “Through our legacy of high-performance technology and strong customer cooperation, SABIC Innovative Plastics aims to stay in the forefront of healthcare innovation.”

“We originally used conventional polycarbonate for the Pulsar pump, but after dialysis sessions, we would observe fibrin production and clot formations adhering to the pump walls,” said John Maholtz, senior vice president of Operations & Engineering for Renal Solutions. “To minimize the potential for formation of clots that could interfere with treatment, we not only modified the design, but also worked with SABIC Innovative Plastics to incorporate Lexan HPM1944 resin for improved hemocompatibility performance. By implementing these design and material changes, it appears that we have reduced the likelihood for thrombosis or clotting in the pump. In fact, based on initial treatments of up to six hours in duration, the walls of the Pulsar pump remain clean.”

The Pulsar blood pump is an integral part of Renal Solutions’ Allient® Sorbent Hemodialysis System. The Pulsar pump’s gentle blood movement provides expanded safety and versatility advantages through the pump’s unique, pressure-limited two-chamber design. The unique design, coupled with SABIC Innovative Plastics’ materials expertise, brings the first significant advancement in hemodialysis blood pump evolution since the 1960s.

Compared to conventional PC, Lexan HPM1944 resin is a biocompatible¹ polycarbonate that provides up to 50 percent greater retention of platelets in the blood; up to 50 percent lower leukocyte activation; and up to 60 percent lower fibrinogen adsorption to the material’s surface, all of which may result in fewer interactions and improved preservation of blood composition².

For additional information on SABIC Innovative Plastics’ high-performance materials for the healthcare industry, contact Clare Frissora at 413-448-6391.

SABIC Innovative Plastics is a global supplier of plastic resins widely used in automotive, healthcare, consumer electronics, transportation, performance packaging, building and construction, telecommunications and optical media applications. The company manufactures and compounds polycarbonate, ABS, ASA, PPE, PC/ABS, PBT and PEI resins, as well as the LNP* line of high-performance specialty compounds, under such well known brand names as Lexan*, Cycolac*, Geloy*, Noryl*, Cycoloy*, Valox* and Ultem*.

The Specialty Film and Sheet division of SABIC Innovative Plastics manufactures high-performance Lexan sheet and film products used in thousands of demanding applications worldwide. The dedicated automotive organization is an experienced, worldwide supplier, offering leading plastics solutions for five key automotive segments: body panels and glazing; under the hood applications; component; structures and interiors; and lighting.

* Trademark of SABIC Innovative Plastics IP BV.
™ Pulsar is a trademark of Renal Solutions, Inc.
® Allient is a registered trademark of Renal Solutions, Inc.

1 Biocompatibility: A representative lot of material tested either by ISO 10993 or USP VI protocol. Test data available via Type I or Type II letter. Type I Letter: Issued for products that have been specifically tested for biocompatibility. Type II Letter: Issued when specific product has not been tested but similar products have been tested for biocompatibility.
2 Lexan HPM resins demonstrate improved hemocompatibility vs standard polycarbonate across multiple biomarkers and test methods. Please contact SABIC Innovative Plastics for further information, if needed.

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