Use of Carbon Biomaterial in Mechanical Heart Valves

Authors

Researcher of Medical Engineering, Department of Medical Science and Technologies, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract
The new achievements in developing advanced material have caused new scopes of different kinds of carbon to emerge. In the late 1960s, the cooperation between Bokers and Vincent Gott caused the development of carbon pirolite. The use of carbon pirolite in the artificial hearts valve has compatibility with blood and good resistance against erosion, so it replaced the metallic materials. In 1990, a new pirolite carbon sample called ON-X was invented. Carbon has several Alotropic forms and is much similar to crystalline structure. This carbon is produced as a result of heat decomposition of hydrocarbon materials. LTI carbon is 25 times tougher that Alumina. LTI carbon has a good collection of properties including blood compatibility, physical and mechanical properties and good resistance and is one successful biomaterials. From the crystality point of view at the beginning of fatigue crack which mostly occurs in metals, does not happen in LTI carbon. If carbon components of hearts valve are designed properly and no external damage has been made on them, will not be fatigued. Only 60 cases out of 4 million implants have failed. Therefore the failure or fatigue of this material is negligible.

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