Improve patient safety with the connection layer

Improve patient safety with the connection layer

Tara McCutchenSenior Global Market ManagerZeus Inc

The bonding layer is a new ultra-thin thermoplastic coating that can transform the medical device industry.

In this interview, Tara McCutchen, Senior Global Market Manager for Zeus, talks about their new bonding layer and how it works in conjunction with the FEP 2:1 heat shrink tubing.

The bonding layer is an ultra-thin thermoplastic coating applied over a PTFE liner. Please tell us about the new product bonding layer and what impact it will have on the medical device industry.

Zeus now offers a new bond coat coating that can be applied to our PTFE liners or almost any of our other tubing materials. Our commercially available bonding layer materials are Pebax, Tecoflex and Vestamid and are available in various degrees of hardness. Additional materials are available upon request. The Tie Layer offers our customers:

• Verbesserte Bindungsfestigkeit zwischen Mantel und Liner (geringere Delaminierung)
• Zugelassene Materialien der Klasse VI
• Behalten Sie das allgemeine Katheterprofil bei
• Maßgeschneiderte Leistung
• Möglichkeit zum Auskleiden von Metallrohren
• Reduzierte Kosten/Ausschuss
• Erhöhte Erträge und Durchsatz
• Verbesserte Patientensicherheit

How can the tie layer product improve patient safety while reducing costs?

By adding the bonding layer, OEMs and contract manufacturers can reduce delamination by increasing the bond strength between the liner and sheath by 2.5 times or more depending on the catheter design. Improving bond strength reduces the likelihood of delamination during a procedure, known as field failure. While reducing delamination improves patient safety, it also reduces manufacturing costs through higher yield, fewer inspections and higher throughput.

What makes the Tie Layer different from all other products on the market? What sets it apart?

Zeus is already known in the medical industry as a premier provider of polymer solutions, with extrusion being one of our core competencies. The bonding layer is a great example of our ability to process a known biocompatible material to further complement our critical catheter components. For manufacturers relying on PTFE liners, the tie layer provides a solution that can reduce and potentially eliminate high costs and high liability failure potential.

What are the risks involved in catheter construction? How does Zeus help overcome this?

Delamination is one of the biggest risks in catheter construction. When various materials begin to separate, this limits the intended performance of the device and poses a major risk to patient safety. This defect is not easy to detect and is usually only discovered during final inspection of a fully assembled catheter. At this point the entire catheter must be discarded, but even worse, the patient's safety is at risk. With the addition of a bonding layer, the improved bond strength helps reduce such failures.

A crucial bond you can count on

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Zeus tie layer

What role does FEP 2:1 play in this? What are the features and benefits of this product?

FEP 2:1 enables catheter sheaths with different transitions to be melted. A good example of this would be melting using a conical mandrel. With higher ratios this could save the use of multiple shrink parts and a lower part count for our customers. If you will, there is a one size fits most. Our 2:1 FEP HS is pure FEP and leaves a smooth surface when removed.

What other applications benefit from the link layer?

Any application requiring improved adhesion, custom performance and limited expansion in overall profile or wall thickness. We are diligently working on several new products that will provide additional benefits from our connection layer capability. Stay tuned for more new product launches from Zeus.

What role will the interconnect layer play in the medical device market in the future?

We believe our tie layer technology is the future for devices where adhesion and adhesiveness are critical to functionality. We have developed interconnection layer solutions from the smallest microcatheter to the largest structural cardiac catheter.

Where can our readers find out more?

To learn more, please visit – www.zeusinc.com

Pebax is a registered trademark of Arkema France SA. Tecoflex is a registered trademark of Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc. Vestamid is a registered trademark of Evonik Degussa GMBH.

About Tara McCutchen

Tara McCutchen has more than 15 years of experience at Zeus, driving a collaborative approach to material selection and design for components used in the medical device industry. She shares her expertise in materials science and optimized tubing solutions for a variety of applications in the medical market. Tara holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing/Management from the University of South Carolina.

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