Antimicrobial polymers on show at Med-Tech Innovation Expo
MedNet, a German supplier to the medical device industry, will be representing Foster Corporation at Med-Tech Innovation Expo in the UK this week.
A specialist in polymer solutions for healthcare markets, Foster recently introduced Combat antimicrobial masterbatches for blending with medical device polymers. Components made with these antimicrobial polymer blends kill the harmful bacteria that leads to infections, including methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE).
According to a survey by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 4% of inpatients in US acute care hospitals contract at least one healthcare associated infection. Device associated infections accounted for one in every four infections. In-dwelling devices, such as central venous catheters, are particularly susceptible to bacteria colonisation which can enter the bloodstream. Increasingly, medical device companies are evaluating antimicrobial additives for plastics to kill harmful bacteria on the surface of device components.
Ionic silver is highly successful at killing bacteria and preventing colonisation. Additives based on this chemistry are commonly melt blended directly into medical polymers for the manufacture on antimicrobial device components. However, evaluation of multiple custom compound formulations can be costly. Combat masterbatches, made from Sciessent’s Agion ionic silver technology, provide an economical way for customers to evaluate several antimicrobial filler loadings in their device components by dry blending different ratios.
“Combat master batches are available in quantities as low as two pounds to minimise costs for initial evaluations,” said Larry Johnson, executive vice president for Foster Corporation. “With let-down percentages of 2-10%, depending on the polymer and applications, these small order quantities allow engineers to test several antimicrobial formulations from a single order quantity.”