Collagen fiber anchoring platforms for percutaneous devices

In this study, we investigated the use of perforated sheet platforms to improve the attachment of percutaneous devices to surrounding tissues. The model platform was created by a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) sheet with a matrix of 200-μm diameter perforations covering the groove (width, 3 mm; depth, 0.5 mm) prepared on the PMMA cylinder (diameter, 10 mm; length, 6 mm). Velour cuffs from peritoneal dialysis catheters were used as controls. Specimens were implanted percutaneously in rats, harvested with the surrounding tissues at 4 weeks after surgery, and subjected to mechanical tests and histological observations. The attachment strength of the experimental specimens to tissue was 138.4 ± 123.6 kPa (n = 5, mean ± SD); although it was greater than the 67.23 ± 45.78 kPa (n = 5) of the controls, no statistical significance was found. Histological observations of the experimental specimens revealed the collagen fibers originating from the surrounding tissues, passing through the perforations of the sheet, merging into the collagen fibers running behind the sheet, and thus anchoring the tissues to the device. In contrast, such anchoring of collagen fibers was not evident in the controls. These results suggest that the proposed perforated sheet structures are effective for soft tissue attachment.