A heart valve sewing prosthesis including an intrinsically conductive
polymer. The invention includes annuloplasty rings and bands, and sewing
rings or cuffs for prosthetic heart valves. Some annuloplasty rings and
sewing rings include fabric that is coated with an intrinsically
conductive polymer. The coating can be formed over individual filaments
or fibers, or on the fabric surface as a surface layer. One intrinsically
conductive polymer is polypyrrole. The intrinsically conductive polymer
can be doped to facilitate the intrinsic conductivity. Some devices have
a polypyrrole surface layer doped with dialkyl-napthalene sulfonate. The
intrinsically conductive polymer can be deposited on a fabric using
in-situ polymerization of monomeric or oligomeric species, together with
a dopant. Animal studies using implanted annuloplasty rings having an
intrinsically conductive polymer coating have demonstrated a substantial
reduction in pannus formation and inflammatory response.