Lubricious extruded medical tubing
AssigneeContech Medical, Inc.
InventorsRaymond A. Byrnes, Christopher M. Byrnes, Frank E. Barrett
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A medical tube having improved lubricity is disclosed. The medical tube is produced by extruding a polymer material blended with a lubricity enhancing additive through a resilient die. The polymer material can be medical-grade high-density polyethylene, and the lubricity enhancing additive can be a silicone-based or alloy-based material. The medical tube can include one or more internal elongated protuberances so as to reduce the internal surface area of the medical tube available to generate friction on a guide wire inserted or withdrawn through the medical tube.
Claims18
A medical tube formed from a blended material, comprising:
- at least about ninety-five percent organic polymer resin;
- and
- 0.5 percent to three percent lubricity enhancing additive blended with the organic polymer resin to form the blended material, the lubricity enhancing additive being siloxane,
- wherein the blended material is extruded into the medical tube such that the medical tube has a substantially tubular configuration with an inner surface and an outer surface.
A method of preparing a medical tube comprising:
- blending an organic polymer resin with a lubricity enhancing additive to create a blended material, the blended material including at least about ninety-five percent organic polymer resin and 0.5 percent to three percent lubricity enhancing additive, the lubricity enhancing additive being siloxane and the organic polymer resin being high-density polyethylene;
- controlling the temperature or pressure of the blended material so as to achieve a viscosity of the blended material suitable for extrusion;
- extruding the blended material through a die, thereby forming a substantially tubular structure with an inner surface and an outer surface;
- permitting the extruded tubular structure to cool for a predetermined amount of time;
- and
- cutting the cooled extruded tubular structure, thereby forming the medical tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.