Polymer withstands high pressures in tubing assemblies. A high-performance thermoplastic, polyaryletherketone (PEEK), provides a higher tensile strength than most plastics, permitting quick-disconnect tubing assemblies made from the material to be bent to fit any application. PEEK manufactured by Victrex USA Inc. (Greenville, SC; 800/842-8739) also enables the transport of viscous fluids at pressures of up to 2000 psi. Super-thin-wall designs aid in handling high pressures. Quick-disconnect assemblies are considered disposable, but can be sterilized before use since PEEK's semicrystalline structure provides resistance to sterilization cycles operating at temperatures of 280ºF. In addition, PEEK prevents carryover from sample to sample; there is no chemical reaction between a tested sample and a reagent, which makes the polymer suitable for use in in vitro diagnostic tubing assemblies.