Making the Most of Composite Tubing

Originally Published MDDI January 2003

Some medical procedures require the use of composite tubing to provide characteristics that metal cannot. While some composite tubes are used to increase the range of capabilities offered by a device, others are used to make the product safer for both patient and practitioner.

Risk reduction and increased capabilities are key goals of composite tubing products developed by Polygon Co. (Walkerton, IN). The company's composite tubes, with diameters as small as 3 mm, are designed to have high dielectric strength and high stiffness characteristics. They are also radiolucent and resistant to chemicals. Because the composites are nonmagnetic and nonconductive, surgical tools made from the materials are well suited for use during procedures using open MRI systems. They also produce minimal distortion when used under imaging machines. Additional applications include respirators, ventilators, and other air circulation equipment.

Combining attributes of PTFE and silicone, Sil-Kore tubing manufactured by W. L. Gore & Associates Inc. (Newark, DE) is characterized by high lubricity, light weight, high tensile strength, and multimodal sterilization capability. The tubing is 30–50% lighter than comparable silicone tubing and has less than half the surface area, according to the company. The tubing is intended primarily as an endoscope component and for fiber-optic buffering uses.

Applying the theory that the sum of a tube's properties can be greater than its parts, Teel Plastics Inc. (Baraboo, WI) manufactures multilayer tubing for medical applications. Layers of different materials (such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, nylon, and butyrate) are combined to create barrier properties that a single layer could not, according to the company. By using this layering technique, tubing can be fabricated that offers increased puncture and wear resistance; barrier protection to blood, human tissues, and gases; and a translucent barrier to moisture, oxygen, or solvents. Materials can also be combined to create specified physical properties. Among the medical products that use multilayered tubing are plastic swab sticks, pipettes, and pinch-sealed tubing.

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