Biomaterials and Implants in Cardiac and Vascular Surgery - Review

Currently, on prosthesis in cardiac blood vessels and heart valves are used materials of animal or synthetic origin. For animal materials include, among others pericardial sac in which is the heart. Materials such as this (natural) are characterized by a remarkable biocompatibility within the human body, but their main disadvantage is the relatively low durability. In turn, synthetic materials, which include the austenitic chromium-nickel-molybdenum steels, alloys with a shape memory (nickel-titanium), or polymeric materials, such as lactic acid, are characterized by high stability in an environment of bodily fluids, wherein the insufficiently high biocompatibility with the organism human requires from patients using after implantation, anticoagulants which prevent anti-platelet deposition on the surface of the prosthesis. The present work is a review of biomaterials using in implantology and implants using in cardiac and vascular surgery.