Mechanical stability of elastomeric polymers for blood pump applications.

As a series of studies on the mechanical properties of materials used in cardiac prostheses, static and dynamic characteristics and stability of five kinds of elastomeric polymers have been studied by uniaxial tensile and fatigue tests in air at room temperature and in saline solution at 37 degrees C. Of all materials tested in this study, Texin MD85A, a segmented polyether polyurethane, has the lowest flexibility under static and dynamic conditions, with relatively high strength. Hexsyn, a polyolefin rubber, is highly flexible with little stress relaxation. However, this material has very low tensile strength and short elongation, and shows unstable change in the elastic modulus during cyclic deformation. Avcothane 51, a copolymer of polyurethane and silicon, has unstable mechanical properties and gradually stiffens upon cyclic deformation. On the other hand, Biomer, a segmented polyether polyurethane, has high flexibility and shows the most stable behavior during cyclic deformation regardless of test environment. Toyobo TM5, a similar segmented polyurethane to Biomer, has higher strength and ductility than Biomer, although its static and dynamic flexibility are slightly worse and less stable than those of Biomer. These results indicate that Biomer and Toyobo TM5 are more suitable for flexible components of cardiac prostheses.