Lubricious extruded medical tubing
AssigneeContech Medical, Inc.
InventorsRaymond A. Byrnes, Christopher M. Byrnes, Frank E. Barrett
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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as to reduce the internal surface area of the medical tube available to generate friction on a guide wire inserted or withdrawn through the medical tube.
Claims20
A medical tube formed from a blended material, comprising:
- organic polymer resin;
- and
- 0.5 percent to three percent lubricity enhancing additive blended with the organic polymer resin to form the blended material, wherein the lubricity enhancing additive is alloy-based,
- 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 organic polymer resin and 0.5 percent to three percent lubricity enhancing additive, wherein the lubricity enhancing additive is alloy-based;
- achieving a viscosity of the blended material suitable for extrusion;
- and
- extruding the blended material through a die.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.