Rapidly expanding field of image-guided surgery needs new materials for near-infrared imaging with deep tissue penetration. Here, we introduce near-infrared coating of equipment (NICE) for image-guided surgery based on a series of lipophilic cyanine-7.5 dyes with bulky hydrophobic counterions and a biocompatible polymer, poly(methyl methacrylate). The NICE material exhibits superior brightness (15-20-fold higher) and photostability compared to fluorescent coatings based on commonly used indocyanine green (ICG). It can be deposited on different surfaces and devices, such as steel and gold fiducials, silicone and PVC catheters, polymeric surgical sutures and gauzes. Such coated medical devices show excellent stability in air and buffer for ≥150 days. Accelerated ageing revealed their shelf-life of ≥3 years. They are also stable in serum-containing media, whereas ICG-based coating shows rapid dye leakage. NICE is compatible with standard sterilization protocols based on ethylene oxide and vapor. Moreover, our coating material is biocompatible, where cultured cells spread effectively without signs of cytotoxicity. Ex vivo studies suggest that NICE on fiducials can be visualized as deep as 0.5 cm, and NICE on catheters enables their visualization inside ureters and esophagus. Finally, NICE on different medical devices has been validated for image-guided surgery in porcine and human cadaver models. Thus, the developed NIR coating material emerges as a powerful tool for a variety of medical applications.

快速扩展的图像引导手术领域需要新的材料用于具有深层组织穿透力的近红外成像。在这里，我们介绍用于图像引导手术的设备的近红外涂层（NICE），该涂层基于一系列具有庞大的疏水抗衡离子的亲脂性花青7.5染料和生物相容性聚合物聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯。与基于常用的吲哚菁绿（ICG）的荧光涂料相比，NICE材料具有出众的亮度（高15-20倍）和光稳定性。它可以沉积在不同的表面和设备上，例如钢和金基准，硅树脂和PVC导管，聚合物外科缝合线和薄纱。此类涂层医疗器械在空气和缓冲液中≥150天显示出出色的稳定性。加速老化表明其保质期≥3年。它们在含血清的介质中也很稳定，而基于ICG的涂层显示出快速的染料泄漏。NICE与基于环氧乙烷和蒸气的标准灭菌协议兼容。此外，我们的涂层材料具有生物相容性，其中培养的细胞可有效扩散，而无细胞毒性迹象。离体研究表明，基准点上的NICE可以可视到0.5厘米深，导管上的NICE可以使它们在输尿管和食道内部可视化。最后，在猪和人尸体模型中，已验证了不同医疗设备上的NICE可以用于图像引导手术。因此，已开发的NIR涂层材料成为各种医疗应用的有力工具。