SPOTLIGHT
Check balls
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Available from 1.5 to 25.4 mm in diameter, plastic check balls are suited for regulating fluid flow. The balls are offered in stock form or can be custom manufactured in various resins including acetal, nylon, and polycarbonate, as well as low- and high-density polyethylene. Tolerances to ±0.0005 in. are possible for materials such as acetal and nylon. Certified to ISO 9001:2000, the company also has a Class 100,000 cleanroom for injection moulding and component assembly. Hoover Precision Products, Sault Ste. Marie, MI, USA.
Extruded IV components
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A company specializes in designing and manufacturing sterile medical devices as well as precision extrusion-based components and subassemblies for medical device manufactures. The firm’s extruded products include multilumen, multilayer, tapered, bumped, braided, nanobore striped, and radiopaque tubing. Processing at the company is carried out in Class 10,000 and Class 100,000 cleanrooms complying with GMP, ISO 9001, and US FDA guidelines. The firm offers a range of other services such as packaging, sterilization, and EU and US FDA registration. Insert moulding, welding, bonding, tip forming, printing, flaring, hole punching, and grinding services are also available. Ansamed, Boyle, Co. Roscommon, Ireland.
Needles and cannulae
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A company manufactures a variety of needles and cannulae for medical applications. The firm’s dental needles for anesthesia products are available with European or Imperial hubs. The company’s siliconized stainless-steel cannulae have ultrathin walls, a lancet point, and are sterilized using gamma irradiation. The production-lot expiration date and size are printed directly on the needles. Certified to ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 13485, the firm can also develop custom needles and cannulae. Tecnofar, Delebio, SO, Italy.
Dispensing pumps
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Precision dispensing pumps are suited for sensitive fluids such as blood products, live-cell suspensions, pharmaceuticals, biopharmaceuticals, and other fragile liquids. The closed fluid path that characterizes the peristaltic pumping process assures that sterile products do not come into direct contact with moving parts before being dispensed. The pumps also offer gentle handling and high-precision dispensing accuracy. Products pass from the bulk tank directly into sterile medical-grade silicone tubing placed onto the circular track of a filling head. A gentle massaging motion lightly compresses the tubing against a proprietary dual-roller rotor, enabling the pump to achieve its smooth, nonpulsing flow. Product changeover can be accomplished by changing the sterile tubing and filling needles. Flexicon A/S, Ringsted, Denmark.
Extension set
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A 15-in.-long extension set consists of PVC tubing and a polycarbonate flow controller bonded onto the tubing. An ABS male luer and PVC female luer are bonded on the respective tubing ends. Each of the luers has a polyethylene cap. The flow controller’s clearly marked cylinder displays measurements from 5 to 250 ml/hr. An internal chamber
is provided for regulating flow. The extension set also has a preassembled section for inclusion in the fluid line. Qosina, Edgewood, NY, USA.
Antimicrobial catheter coating
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To address the tendency of temporary invasive catheters to cause tissue trauma, a company has developed a second-generation antimicrobial and hydrophilic dual-function coating. The coating has been validated for antimicrobial activity, lubricity, and durability. The coating provides prolonged antimicrobial activity based on dynamic and static antimicrobial test methods. The material’s bactericidal and bacteristatic properties have been demonstrated to last at least 30 days. It can be used for a range of devices, including Foley catheters. DSM Innovation Center B.V., Urmond, Netherlands.
Medical pump
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A pump suited for a variety of medical applications offers pneumatic efficiency, modular construction, and quiet operation over the entire supported pressure range. Typical applications of the JADE 1420 pump include medical applications such as wound drainage and compression therapy. In addition to the angular diaphragm for vacuum or pressure operations at high flow, a flat diaphragm version is now available that has been optimized for high pressure. The company also offers a range of other compressors, vacuum pumps, and liquid pumps. Gardner Denver Alton Ltd., Alton, Hants, UK.
Medical-grade liquid silicone rubber
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A liquid silicone rubber (LSR) is suitable for use in implants that are in the body for 29 days or fewer. It is also suited for disposable IV set components and catheters and for a variety of other applications such as valves and O-rings. The material is stronger than other comparable LSRs, resulting from its unique chemistry, which has been optimized at the molecular level. The material reaches its ultimate physical properties upon initial cure with no drift. The LSR is produced at the company’s dedicated healthcare product facility and is manufactured using GMPs with complete traceability, assuring batch-to-batch consistency. It is tested in accordance with ISO 10993-1 guidelines for external communicating devices and for prolonged indirect-blood-path-contact devices. Dow Corning, Coventry, UK.
