Coatings & surface treatment
New surface technologies are helping medical device manufacturers tackle biofouling without relying on leaching antimicrobial agents. Liam Critchley speaks with Keith Cook, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and coatings expert Gregory Teh about the latest anti-fouling and antimicrobial coating technologies for medical devices.
ealthcare-associated infections are among the most common adverse events in healthcare and an important source of preventable
Mellon University (CMU). patient harm.
Designing medical devices that can be implanted within the body while resisting bacterial biofilm buildup is critical for reducing infection risk and improving clinical outcomes. Biofouling has long been a problem for medical devices, but researchers continue to develop new coating approaches to protect implants and inhibit bacterial growth around them. “All medical devices that contact biological fluid will foul. Within seconds, proteins coat the surfaces of the medical device, and these proteins promote unwanted cellular interactions that lead to blood clot formation, inflammation and/or bacterial biofilm formation,” says Keith Cook, professor at Carnegie
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“What occurs ultimately depends on where the medical device is located. If the device comes into contact with bacteria, the bacteria can coat the device with an extracellular matrix, including polysaccharides and proteins, that allow the bacteria to attach to the device and colonise it.” Many traditional antimicrobial coatings rely on leaching active agents over time, which can reduce long-term effectiveness as those agents are depleted. Depending on the material used, leaching approaches can also raise concerns around toxicity or antimicrobial resistance.
New classes of non-leaching coatings instead aim to provide an effective barrier against bacterial adhesion without relying on the continued release of active agents.
www.medicaldevice-developments.com
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