Preparation of anticoagulant polyvinylidene fluoride hollow fiber hemodialysis membranes.

In this study, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber membranes (HFMs) were modified by coating with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan. The influences of PVA and chitosan amount on PVDF membrane mechanical and separation performance were investigated. The results showed that the modified PVDF membranes had better mechanical and separation performance when the amount of PVA and chitosan was 20 mg/m(2). At the same time, the biocompatibility of PVDF membranes was also investigated. Compared with virgin PVDF membranes, the modified PVDF membranes showed better anticoagulation, hydrophilicity, less bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption, and lower hemolytic ratio. The anticoagulation behavior of modified PVDF membranes coating with PVA had been obviously improved. Prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) of the modified PVDF membrane are 44.8 s and 72.5 s while the PT and APTT of virgin PVDF membrane are 15.6 s and 37.3 s. The advancing water contact angle (WCA) and BSA adsorption of the modified PVDF membrane coating with PVA are 24 degrees and 23 mg/m(2) while virgin PVDF membrane is 52 degrees and 49 mg/m(2). However, further biocompatibility evaluation is needed to obtain a more comprehensive conclusion.