Method of providing a substrate with a hydrophilic coating and substrates, particularly medical devices, provided with such coatings

Abstract

A substrate such as a catheter or a guide wire is provided with a lubricous, hydrophilic abrasion-resistant coating by: a) coating said substrate with a first aqueous coating composition comprising an aqueous dispersion or emulsion of a polymer having organic acid functional groups and a polyfunctional crosslinking agent having functional groups capable of reacting with organic acid groups, and drying the coating to obtain a substantially water-insoluble coating layer having excess polyfunctional including functional groups being reactive with organic acid groups remaining, and b) contacting the dried coating layer obtained in a) with a second aqueous coating composition comprising an aqueous solution or dispersion of a hydrophilic polymer having organic acid functional groups, and drying the combined coating, the hydrophilic polymer thereby becoming bonded to the polymer of the first coating composition through the excess crosslinking agent. The drying can be carried out at ambient (room) temperature.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.