Surface Modification of Poly(Vinylchloride) for Manufacturing Advanced Catheters

Abstract

Polymeric materials, due to their excellent physicochemical properties and versatility found applicability in multiples areas, including biomaterials used in tissue regeneration, prosthetics (hip, artificial valves), medical devices, controlled drug delivery systems, etc. Medical devices and their applications are very important in modern medicine and the need to develop new materials with improved properties or to improve the existent materials is increasing every day. Numerous reasearches are activated in this domain in order to obtain materials/surfaces that does not have drawbacks such as structural failure, calcifications, infections or thrombosis. One of the most used material is poly(vinylchloride) (PVC) due to its unique properties, availability and low cost. The most common method used for obtaining tubular devices that meet the requirements of medical use is the surface modification of polymers without changing their physical and mechanical properties, in bulk. PVC is a hydrophobic polymer and therefore many research studies were conducted in order to increase the hydrophilicity of the surface by chemical modification in order to improve biocompatibility, to enhance wettability, reduce friction or to make lubricious or antimicrobial coatings. Surface modification of PVC can be achieved by several strategies, in only one step or, in some cases, in two or more steps by applying several techniques consecutively to obtain the desired modification / performances. The most common processes used for modifying the surface of PVC devices are: plasma treatment, corona discharge, chemical grafting, electric discharge, vapour deposition of metals, flame treatment, direct chemical modification (oxidation, hydrolysis, etc.) or even some physical modification of the roughness of the surface.

Recent advances in hydrogel coatings for urinary catheters

“…Different polymer materials with various characteristics are used in manufacturing UCs. For example, PVC has very good chemical resistance, stability and biocompatibility, pliable silicone has low toxicity, moderate biocompatibility and good blood compatibility, and latex is soft, flexible and durable 35,36 . However, these hydrophobic polymer materials lack lubricity, which makes a large frictional force between biomedical materials and biological tissues.…”

“…For example, PVC has very good chemical resistance, stability and biocompatibility, pliable silicone has low toxicity, moderate biocompatibility and good blood compatibility, and latex is soft, flexible and durable. 35,36 However, these hydrophobic polymer materials lack lubricity, which makes a large frictional force between biomedical materials and biological tissues. During the use of UCs, poor lubrication performance leads to friction between catheters and urethra, which not only brings a bad user experience to patients but also tends to damage the urethra, thus increasing the probability of bacterial infections.…”

An atmospheric pressure plasma device with multiple ring electrodes for decontamination of flexible tubing with variable scales

“…The distribution of the whole electric field is centrally axisymmetric with an opposite direction. (2) The relationship between the electric fields in the R x region is…”

“…During such treatment, sterilization, and disinfection for these medical tubes are critical and important with several traditional sterilization methods, such as autoclave sterilization, radioactive ray sterilization, dry heat sterilization, and ethylene oxide gas (EOG) sterilization. [1,2] Both the outer and inner surfaces of medical tubes must be sterilized, [3,4] but the disinfection of the inner surface in a low-temperature environment is a difficult problem that has not yet been solved. The most widely used sterilization method is EOG sterilization as it can be carried out at low temperatures.…”

Construction of Helically Oriented Syndiotactic Polypropylene/Isotactic Polypropylene Composites for Medical Interventional Tubes via Rotation Extrusion

“…With the continuous development of the medical industry, requirements for medical devices are becoming stricter to ensure personal security and satisfy public concern. − Polymer tubes are one of the most widely used medical devices in the medical industry. − Nevertheless, medical polymer tubes still face fatal problems, such as poor kink resistance and biocompatibility. Medical tubes will be subjected to various complex stresses, such as stretching, bending, and torsion, when inserted into the human body to reach the target point. , If a kink or rupture occurs, it can easily lead to bleeding and infection of the patient, and may even lead to death. , Therefore, the hoop mechanical strength is the most important property for medical tubes as they undergo bending and torsion during intervention …”