abstract |
A medical device, such as a stent, for delivering a biologically active material to body tissue of a patient, and a method for making such a medical device are described. The medical device has a coating layer on its surface. The coating layer includes a metal having a plurality of pores and a biologically active material dispersed in the pores. The pores are connected to the outer surface of the coating layer. The coating layer may be formed by applying a coating composition comprising two or more metals (such as a gold and silver) to the surface of the medical device and removing one of the metals to form the porous coating layer. This coating layer may be radiopaque, and may be substantially free of a polymeric material. The coating layer of the disclosed medical device has an increased surface area and, thus, can be loaded with a greater amount of biologically active material than a medical device without such coating. |