| abstract |
Medical devices, and in particular implantable medical devices, may be coated tonminimize or substantially eliminate a biological organism's reaction to the introduction ofnthe medical device to the organism. The medical devices may be coated with any numbernof biocompatible materials. Therapeutic drugs, agents or compounds may be mixed withnthe biocompatible materials and affixed to at least a portion of the medical device. Thesentherapeutic drugs, agents or compounds may also further reduce a biological organism'snreaction to the introduction of the medical device to the organism. In addition, thesentherapeutic drugs, agents and/or compounds may be utilized to promote healing, includingnthe formation of blood clots. Also, the devices may be modified to promotenendothelialization. Various materials and coating methodologies may be utilized tonmaintain the drugs, agents or compounds on the medical device until delivered andnpositioned. In addition, the devices utilized to deliver the implantable medical devicesnmay be modified to reduce the potential for damaging the implantable medical devicenduring deployment. Medical devices include stents, grafts, anastomotic devices,nperivascular wraps, sutures and staples. In addition, various polymer combinations may benutilized to control the elution rates of the therapeutic drugs, agents and/or compounds fromnthe implantable medical devices. |