A new, simple test for thrombogenicity.

A simple technique is described to test thrombogenicity in dogs. Materials to be tested are introduced percutaneously into the femoral arteries of dogs in the form of a No. 5 catheter which is advanced to the aortic bifurcation. Another catheter can be introduced into the contralateral femoral artery in order to test two different materials in the same animal at the same time. After the catheter has been exposed to arterial blood for one hour, it is removed with a large-bore retrieval system, and all fibrin deposits are collected in a plastic basket. Significant thrombus formation was almost uniformly present in over 100 control studies. The technique has the advantage of being relatively noninvasive, allowing the testing of several materials in the same animal and yielding consistent results.