| Abstract: | In 1990 there were approximately 710 million catheter units produced world-wide from a variety of materials. This number is expected to increase 5–7% in 1991. Intravenous catheters are currently being produced from a myriad of materials including polyurethanes, polyvinylchloride, silicone rubber, and Teflon®, to name a few. Along with the ultimate end usage of a catheter, many other performance characteristics must be evaluated. Some of these characteristics are mechanical and physical properties, surface properties, hemocompatibility, biostability, and processability. The Vialon® biomaterial has a tensile strength of 520 kg/cm2 which is over 50% higher than the other materials studied. This bioengineered material, which is a member of the broad class of polyurethanes, also gave better hemocompatibility properties, as measured by in vivo platelet deposition. In addition Vialon® is engineered such that the material softens in the body's moisture and heat rendering it biocompatible. The thermoplastic nature of this polymer also allows its ease of processing by such conventional means as thermal extrusion. A comparison of the aforementioned materials against these and other performance criteria was undertaken and will be presented. |
