Surface modification to improve lubricity, abrasion resistance and temperature resilience of leads
AssigneeCardiac Pacemakers, Inc.
InventorsShrojalkumar Desai, Leslie J. Carion, Larry L. Hum
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Abstract
A medical electrical lead body having an outer surface and including at least one lumen having an inner surface treated with a silane surface modifying agent to form a three-dimensional, densely cross-linked lubricious coating over at least a portion of the inner surface of the lumen. The outer surface of the lead body also may be similarly treated. The lubricious silane coating may reduce the coefficient of friction of the coated surface of the lead body by as much as 80% when compared to an uncoated surface. A reduction in the coefficient of friction may enhance the stringing efficiency of a conductor through the lead body lumen and may enhance its abrasion resistance.
Claims15
A method for forming a lubricious coating on an inner surface of a lumen of a lead body, the method comprising:
- a) contacting the inner surface with a coating composition comprising a solvent and a silane surface modifying agent having a general formula of:
- wherein:
- R is selected from the group consisting of unsubstituted and halogen-substituted aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aromatic and linear and branched alkyl-substituted aromatic groups having less than or equal to about fifteen carbons or wherein R is selected from the group consisting of short chain polymers where the number of monomer units ranges from 1 to 15;
- and R1, R2, and R3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxy, halogen, alkyl, halogen-substituted alkyl, acyl, acetoxy, alkoxy and acyloxy groups, and combinations thereof;
- b) injecting steam into the lumen to contact the inner surface with steam;
- and
- c) curing the coating composition on the inner surface after the injecting step to form a siloxane coating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.